


Written in the Stars

by InspectorBoxer



Series: Quiet Nights and Quiet Stars [4]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-28
Updated: 2017-02-19
Packaged: 2018-07-27 09:16:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 35,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7612426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InspectorBoxer/pseuds/InspectorBoxer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kara and Cat hurtle towards the inevitable as a final showdown with the Joker looms...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks as always to zennie and DJ Shiva for their input. And a big thanks to everyone who has left kudos and comments on the other parts of this series. You guys have kept me going when plot bunnies threaten to drag me off to other stories.
> 
> This last installment will be much longer. Hope you enjoy it!

Cat’s eyes blinked open to the first rays of morning stretching out over an endless sky above. Kara’s heat and curves spooned intimately against her back, the younger woman’s arms having cradled Cat gently as she slept. Their legs had tangled sometime during the night, and as Cat became aware of her surroundings, she could feel Kara’s warm breath stir against the base of her neck. It all felt incredible. Every delicious inch of it.

No amount of money or power could buy this feeling. Cat swallowed, wondering what she’d done right with her life to deserve it. She’d treated Kara so poorly for so long. Made the girl scratch and claw for every sliver of respect Cat had deigned to toss her way. Part of her behavior toward the younger woman had been deliberate, pushing Kara to see how much she could take, to learn how much Kara would do to prove her wrong. It was a study in character that Kara had passed where all others had failed. But some of Cat’s meaner moments had nothing to do with toughening Kara up, with making sure the young, vibrant woman would survive in such a cutthroat world. No, those had all come from a dark place Cat tapped into more often than she wanted to admit. A place where she put others down to lift herself up. A place her mother had carved out deep inside her.

Cat wasn’t proud of the trait even though she’d claim otherwise to her dying day. She’d thought it was a flaw in her character that she could never uproot, no matter how much therapy she paid for. Best to own it. Use it. Wield it like a weapon to keep everyone in line. Protect herself from letting anyone close enough to hurt her ever again.

But Kara… Kara was water to Cat’s jagged rock, wearing her down with every kind look, every act of concern, every little gesture that showed Kara cared. Really, though, Cat mused, how in the hell could anyone resist those eyes, that smile? She should feel smug that she’d managed to hold out as long as she had.

Kara shifted slightly, drawing Cat in tighter as the sun broke through the clouds, glinting off the surface of the pool and stretching across the tiles to tickle their bare feet with a hint of warmth. Cat was loath to move from the moment of perfection, but Carter would be up soon. 

“Supergirl,” Cat said softly, running her hand down Kara’s arm, exploring the texture of her suit curiously before she began stroking the back of one of Kara’s hands. Long with elegant fingers, Kara’s hands looked like they should play an instrument, hold a paintbrush, create some kind of beauty in this world rather than having the power to destroy nearly anything they touched if Kara so desired.

Kara murmured something unintelligible, her lips ghosting over the back of Cat’s neck, causing goosebumps to race along Cat’s flesh.

No one could see her face so Cat grinned stupidly, reveling in the contact for just a moment longer. “Supergirl, time to get up.”

Supergirl drew in a long, slow breath, swallowing thickly as her features turned further into the skin just below Cat’s ear, trying to avoid the day for a few precious moments more. She breathed Cat in, her leg shifting between the older woman’s thighs. “Uh-uh,” she finally murmured, her nose teasing along the column of Cat’s throat.

God, if they’d been in bed right now, Cat didn’t know how she’d keep herself from ravishing the younger woman. Praying for an ounce of control, Cat tried again. “Kara…” she beckoned, wondering how Kara might respond to her actual name.

But Kara merely turned her head away from the dawn, losing herself in Cat’s heat as she slipped deeper into sleep once more, too content in her current arrangement.

Cat glanced at her watch, the thin, delicate design bringing a wicked smile to her lips. With only a flicker of regret, she flipped the watch face open and pressed the button.

Kara bolted upright instantly, a grimace on her features until Cat turned the device off.

“That was mean,” the younger woman groused, her voice thick with sleep.

Chuckling, Cat eased up and turned toward her, pulling Kara’s head down into a lingering kiss to make up for it. When they slowly parted, Kara’s eyes blinked open, amusement twinkling in their depths.

“Morning,” Kara said softly, her expression warm and enthralled, and Cat couldn’t believe that look was for her.

Cat kissed her again just because she could, just because she wanted to wake up to that expression every morning for the rest of her life. “Sorry for the alarm, but Carter will be up soon,” she murmured a few minutes later.

“Mmm.” Kara licked her lips before raking a hand through her tousled hair.

God, Kara was beautiful, and delightfully adorable as she struggled to wake up. Cat cleared her throat, almost embarrassed by her romantic ruminations. “Want coffee?”

“Sure.”

“Does caffeine even have any effect on you?” Cat asked sympathetically, trying to imagine what her life would be like without coffee and failing.

Supergirl shook her head and waved a dismissive hand at the strengthening sunrise. “The sun will wake me up.”

“Don’t tell me I’m seeing some kind of nature nut.”

Kara gave her a sleepy, playful glare. “I’m not usually this groggy, but I must have slept really hard with my powers so depleted. The sun will recharge me soon enough.”

Cat went completely still, wondering if she was reading too much into what Kara had said, but her journalistic instincts wouldn’t be denied, even before her first cup of coffee. She just had to decide what to address first. “You get your powers from the sun?”

Supergirl blinked again, and Cat could see her draw in a slow breath as she realized what she’d just confessed so casually. A flicker of worry crossed the younger woman’s features before she seemed to intentionally set her concern aside, offering Cat a weak, half-smile. “Surprise.”

The Sunny Danvers nickname suddenly seemed much more apropos. Cat’s lips twitched. “But you still have powers at night.”

“My cells store energy.”

“So I’m dating a living, breathing, rechargeable battery?” Cat wanted to keep the conversation casual, wanted to make sure Kara knew whatever she shared that this was a safe place to share it.

Supergirl released a quiet huff of amusement. “Not sure I like being described like that.”

Cat reached out, tracing Kara’s jaw before her thumb eased over the softness of Kara’s lower lip. She adored that smile. Couldn’t get enough of it, especially this version which Kara seemed to have reserved for her alone. Kara reached up and tangled their fingers, drawing Cat’s hand down to rest in the center of her crest. “What did you mean when you said your powers were depleted?” Cat asked, needing to know. “I know you were exhausted last night…”

For a moment, Kara turned her gaze toward the rising sun, and Cat understood the younger woman was weighing what she wanted to say, to share, and Cat held her breath.

“I can lose my powers if I push too hard.”

Cat swallowed, absorbing that, hating the thought that Supergirl could ever be vulnerable to the people who wanted to hurt her. “And when you lose them…”

“I’m… I’d say human but that’s not entirely true, I guess, but it’s close enough.”

“Does that happen often?”

Kara shook her head. “It’s only happened once, but I came close yesterday. I overdid it and I was… emotionally stressed which didn’t help.”

“Those kids…”

“And you,” Kara added seriously, reaching up to brush a curl of blonde hair away from Cat’s eyes. “When I heard the alarm at CatCo…” She took a breath. “Should have known it was you being one step ahead of the Joker instead.”

They stared at each, some of the horror they’d both managed to forget from the day before leaching into the moment. Cat managed a tight smile. “James Olsen is putting a team together to figure out why the Joker is here.”

“You think he’s got a specific reason for being in National City?”

“I do. I have a feeling his play for revenge is more a side project than his main goal, however.”

“I know that’s supposed to be comforting…”

Cat smiled grimly. “At least I have my little bell to ring if I get into trouble.” She rotated her wrist meaningfully, the sun glinting off the band.

“A fact I was regretting a few minutes ago.”

Her smile turned more genuine as Cat kissed Kara softly again in apology. The girl was going to ruin the image Cat had worked decades to perfect, and Cat couldn’t find it in herself to really give a damn. “Let me get us that coffee. You might not need it, but I do.”

****

After slipping on her boots, Kara leaned against the rail, looking out at the brilliant sunrise as deep hues of red and orange gave way to gold behind a smattering of clouds. The view was simply stunning and Kara drank it in, wondering if Cat might let her paint it sometime.

Taking a deep breath of the cool morning air, Kara smiled. Cat’s perfume still clung enticingly to her clothes, her skin. She closed her eyes, savoring another lungful of it as she soaked up the sun, feeling it tickle a little as it recharged her depleted reserves.

The balcony door opened and Kara lazily turned to watch Cat come closer, two steaming mugs of coffee in her hands. The CatCo CEO was disheveled, her hair mussed and clothes wrinkled, but somehow Cat made the look incredibly sexy. Kara took a few steps forward to meet her halfway, her gaze starting at Cat’s bare feet before raking over her body, lingering on her exposed collarbones and finally meeting her smirking hazel eyes. Kara knew she was being forward with her desire, surprising herself more than a little, but Cat didn’t seem to mind.

“Not a word.”

“What?” Kara asked lightly. “I was just thinking you could start a new fashion trend. The rumpled look.”

Cat rolled her eyes. “Watch it,” she grumbled, handing Kara her mug. “I’m not prepared for witty repartee until I’ve had at least two of these.” Her nails drummed on the side of the ceramic mug before she took a sip of her coffee, humming in approval as the liquid slid down her throat and caffeine rushed into her system.

“I think you look beautiful,” Kara said sincerely, pleased when a faint blush dotted Cat’s pale cheeks. She took a sip of her own coffee, startled to find it exactly how she like it.

A slow, resigned smile spread across Kara’s features as she absorbed this latest cue from Cat. She’d been willfully ignoring them before their relationship had begun to change, too scared of losing everything to examine them too closely, but Cat was hammering her with them now, pushing, none too subtly, that she knew.

She _knew_.

“Coffee acceptable?” Cat asked casually as if she were reading the other woman’s mind.

“Cat…” Kara took a deep breath, ready to say the words, needing to. They were on the tip of her tongue when she heard familiar footfalls. Her heart sank when she realized they were about to be interrupted.

“What’s wrong?”

“Carter,” Kara whispered apologetically.

Their gazes lingered for a moment before Kara turned away and smiled at Cat’s son as he stepped outside. 

“Supergirl!” Carter stumbled over to them in excitement. “Are you okay? Mom was really worried about you last night.”

Kara glanced at Cat again, finding the woman suddenly very interested in her coffee. “I’m fine. I was pretty tired, though. It was a… busy day.”

“It was so awesome how you picked that bus up and flew it into the water.”

“Thanks,” Kara said with a thin smile. “Having it blow up in my face wasn’t a lot of fun, though. Pretty sure the Coast Guard would like to ban me from the bay right about now.”

Cat chuckled. “First you ditch a plane there. Then cause an oil spill. Now an exploding bus. What do you have against National City’s aquatic life, Supergirl?”

Kara glared at her playfully and Carter grinned from ear to ear. 

“What are you doing here?” he asked. 

Cat fished in her pocket before slipping out the watch and handing it to her son. “She brought you something,” she said, providing Kara with a handy excuse for her presence this early in the morning.

“Cool…” Carter murmured, accepting the watch and looking it over. Kara smiled as he fastened it on his wrist. “Thank you.”

“It’s not just a watch,” Cat explained, moving closer and leaning against him as she showed him the secrets of the device and its actual purpose. Kara watched them both, savoring this glimpse into their relationship. Cat was so different with Carter, and Kara knew it was a gift to be able to witness that.

Carter traced the crest in awe.

“Please don’t press that,” Supergirl told him with a half grin. “Your mom already did that this morning and my ears are still ringing.”

Cat smirked and Carter laughed, but his fingers played over his mother’s watch now. “You have one, too?”

“I have one, too.” Cat smiled and threaded her fingers through his hair before resting her hand in the middle of his back.

“Because of the Joker? The attack on CatCo yesterday?” Carter’s pale eyes shifted back to Supergirl, understanding more than a boy his age should have to.

Cat looked stricken, and Kara couldn’t begin to imagine how she felt, knowing the Joker wanted her dead, that he would gladly kill Carter if need be to achieve that goal.

“With the Joker in town, I wanted to make sure you and your mom are safe,” Supergirl explained.

Carter stared at his watch before looking at his mom, relief clear in his pale eyes. “It makes me feel better, knowing she’s looking out for you.”

Cat swallowed. “Me too,” she answered before kissing his temple. “I like knowing she’s looking after us both.” Her gaze cut to Kara and held, and Kara didn’t know what to do with the warm gratitude looking back at her. She only knew she’d give her own life before she let anything happen to either of them.

“Would it be okay if I gave you a hug?” Carter asked shyly.

“More than okay.” Supergirl opened her arms and Carter stepped into her, squeezing hard. 

“Thank you,” Carter whispered, “for keeping my mom safe.”

Kara had to swallow past a sudden lump in her throat. She eased back, ducking her head slightly to meet Carter’s gaze, touched that he was comfortable enough to let her. “Always,” she promised. “Just keep the watch a secret, though, okay? Some people might try to hurt you to get to me if they knew we were friends.”

“We’re friends?” Carter asked with shy pleasure.

“Well, I don’t give out watches to just _anybody_ ,” Supergirl said with a wink.

“Carter, why don’t you go get ready for school.” Cat finished off her coffee and set it on the rail.

“But…” Carter looked from one woman to the other and sighed, sensing they needed to talk. “Fine,” he grumbled, sounding every inch the teenager. “Thanks again for the watch.”

“You’re welcome. I’ll see you soon, Carter.”

He gave Supergirl a bashful wave from the doorway and Kara waved back, grinning as Cat chuckled.

“A superpower you didn’t know you had. Wrapping Grants around your little finger.”

Kara stared at her, aware of Carter lingering just inside the door, watching them. “I really want to kiss you right now,” she admitted softly.

“I really want to be kissed, but we might make Carter’s head explode.” Cat drifted closer anyway, her features growing more serious. “You started to say something… before he interrupted…”

Kara held Cat’s gaze, desperate to speak the truth after all the lies. “Now is probably not the best time.”

Cat frowned. “Everything alright?”

“We need to talk. About… who I am.”

Cat drew in a deep breath, her shoulders straightening. Kara could hear the other woman’s heart rate kick up noticeably. “Oh,” Cat murmured. “Are you… ready for that?”

Kara bit her lip as she seriously considered the question. “I… I think so.” She offered Cat a shy smile. “If we’re… if we become…” Kara was mortified to feel a blush rising up her neck.

“ _When_ we become intimate,” Cat said pointedly, “I would like to have that knowledge of who exactly I’m taking into my bed.”

The blush only got worse, but now the rest of Kara’s body seemed to be as on fire as her face. “Seems like something you should know before that happens.”

“Is Carter still watching us?”

Casually, Kara glanced toward the penthouse. “Oh yeah.” She laughed lightly.

“Then we’ll talk later. Sometime before Friday night.”

“I don’t want this between us anymore,” Kara confessed, tempted to just blurt it out there so they could move on.

Cat risked it, stepping closer to pull her into a long, lingering hug that made Kara want to melt into her. “Soon, my Supergirl.”

A silly grin splashed across Kara’s lips. “Yours, huh?” she teased.

When Cat leaned back and Kara caught a glimpse of the predatory and possessive gleam in the older woman’s eyes, she shivered, realizing Cat wasn’t wrong. She was Cat’s, completely.

“Later,” Cat vowed before scooping up their mugs and heading back inside, looking smug.

The way Kara’s body ached for Cat after that look, Kara mused she had every right to be.


	2. Chapter 2

Kara opened her apartment door and smirked at the imposing figure Lucy Lane cut on the other side. Dressed in standard DEO attire, black cargo pants and a black polo, Lucy looked taller than usual and strangely meaner. “Major Lane,” Kara greeted with mock formality as Lucy breezed past her into the apartment without a word. “Is this becoming a thing?” Kara shut her apartment door before she finished tying her hair back in a ponytail, glancing at the time to see just how late she was running. 

“Being your donut delivery service? No.” Lucy plunked the pink box down on Kara’s kitchen island before slapping a folder down on top of it. “It’s time to sign these.”

Kara came closer, flipping up one corner of the folder and studying the documents inside. She frowned. “Lucy…”

“I wish I could be here as your friend this morning, Kara, but I’m afraid this visit is a little more official. Take the donuts as a peace offering, though.”

Drawing up a little straighter, Kara adjusted her glasses. “I’ll take donuts pretty much any way I can get them,” she joked with a weak smile that Lucy returned with even less enthusiasm. “Are you mad? You seem mad.”

“No.” Lucy sighed. “Sometimes it just really sucks being the acting director of the DEO. I spent the morning getting my ass chewed because you spent the night with Cat Grant.”

Kara rocked back on her heels, bristling at the thought of the DEO monitoring her before common sense kicked in. “The agents you had on security detail,” she murmured, having forgotten that they were there, that they would have reported on her arrival… and eventual departure. She grimaced. “Lucy, it’s not what it looks like.”

“It looks like you slept with Cat. While I’m dying to know the details as your friend, as the director of the DEO, we’ve got to have that uncomfortable talk we’ve been dancing around this week.”

“We didn’t…” Kara swallowed, chafing that she was expected to share the intimate details of her life with an organization whose primary function was to lock beings like her away. “We _slept_ together. We didn’t _sleep_ together.”

One of Lucy’s dark, sculpted eyebrows arched over a pale green eye, fixing Kara with a look of incredulity. “Thanks for clearing that up,” she said sarcastically.

Kara sighed, leaning against the island. “I was running on fumes last night. You know that.”

“Did you have sex with her, Kara?”

“Wow. Blunt. Okay.” Kara adjusted her glasses again. “No.”

Lucy eyed her skeptically.

“I passed out by her pool. Cat slept _beside_ me. That’s all that happened.”

“Really?”

“All I’m going to share with you, Director.”

Lucy winced at the title. “Kara…”

“But you’re right.” Kara turned and picked up a pen off the coffee table, returning to the island and flipping through the paperwork, signing her name everywhere it was indicated. “It’s time to do this.”

A small smile formed on Lucy’s lips as she watched her take the huge step to read Cat into every facet of her life. “You told her yet?”

“Almost. Pretty damn sure she already knows, because she’s dropping hints left, right and center, but she deserves to hear me say the words.”

“So Cat might be interested in more than just Supergirl after all, huh?”

Kara dropped the pen onto the island, much of her good mood having vanished. “You asking me as my friend or as the director?”

“Your friend, Kara. I wouldn’t be here if a squad of agents hadn’t reported on your visit last night. Orders came down from on high. You’ve made some people nervous crawling into bed with the Queen of All Media. They want her… handled.”

“It was a chaise lounge,” Kara pointed out, “and it was more like collapsing than crawling.”

Lucy tried to smother a grin, and Kara shook her head.

“You’re lucky you bought donuts or I would be so cranky with you right now.” Kara snipped the string with a pair of scissors and pulled out a cruller before taking a healthy bite.

“You mean crankier?”

Kara narrowed her eyes at the shorter woman as she finished chewing and swallowed. “So now what?”

Lucy put her hand on the file. “Now I submit the paperwork. And when you’re ready, you tell Cat, and we’ll bring her in to be debriefed. She’ll sign a nondisclosure agreement and that will be that.”

“She’s going to hate every minute of this.”

“I know, but I suspect she’ll think you’re worth it.” Lucy stepped closer. “But Kara, I’m not kidding. There are people in Washington that are not keen on your relationship with her. It never crossed my mind that my superiors would flip their shit over this, but some of them are.”

“I don’t care what they think. My relationship with the DEO is a mutually beneficial one, but I don’t work for them or Washington. They do not get a say in who I sleep with.”

“Do you really want to make enemies in Washington?”

“Do they really want to make an enemy out of me?” Kara felt something dark and angry stir in her stomach, knew it reflected in her eyes when Lucy took an involuntary step back. “No one is going to stop me from seeing Cat.” Lucy dropped her gaze, and Kara knew she’d frightened her, feeling instantly contrite. “I’m sorry…”

“You get protective of the people you love. That’s nothing to apologize for.” Lucy took a deep breath, meeting Kara’s gaze reluctantly. “And I didn’t mean to imply that you should go along to get along, Kara. I just want to make sure you understand all the variables. If they try to throw roadblocks in your way, I want you to see them coming. I think they could care less that you’re in a relationship, even with a woman. It’s who you’re in a relationship with. Cat has made a lot of enemies over her career. And it has to scare the suits to think a woman that powerful could have influence over Supergirl.”

Kara rolled her eyes. “She’s been influencing me since I came out.”

“In more ways than one?”

Scowling, Kara nevertheless grinned a fraction. “You know what I mean.”

Lucy dipped into the donut box, pulling out one that was lightly dusted with cinnamon before taking a bite. “Relationships are complicated enough without politics and protocols involved. I am sorry about all this.”

“You’re just doing your job,” Kara allowed before finishing off her cruller.

“And this morning that responsibility is at odds with being your friend.”

Kara turned her head, looking out at the sunny morning pensively. “You really think someone might try to interfere with me and Cat?”

Lucy ran her hand down Kara’s arm and squeezed her wrist in reassurance. “I’d like to see them try.”

“I don’t like using my powers to intimidate people.”

“I was thinking more about what Cat would do to them.”

“Good point.” 

Lucy smiled.

“But what if she won’t sign, though?” Kara asked, growing serious again. “What if she wants no part of the DEO?”

“Then things get… messy.”

“Messy?”

“You’re right. You don’t work for the DEO or Washington, but that doesn’t mean that those two powers don’t think they have a claim on you.”

Some of Kara’s anger returned, stirring cold and dark beneath the surface. “So help me, if they try to hurt her…”

“Cat’s too high profile to risk something like that, and I don’t think anyone wants to compromise your relationship with the United States Government.”

“They should have thought about that before trying to throw my sister and Hank into Project Cadmus.” Kara bit her lip, realizing her mistake the instant it passed her lips. “Lucy… I...”

“It’s fine,” Lucy said tightly, but Kara could see the guilt in her eyes, her regret in the role she’d played in what happened. “But if Cat declines to sign, I just… I don’t think some people will be okay with that. At the very least, you would have to choose. Your relationship with the DEO or Cat.”

“I wouldn’t have to choose. Cat wins. Hands down.”

“I know that, Kara, but not everyone will find that choice acceptable.”

Clenching her jaw, Kara tried to hold onto the memories of that morning, determined to let them outshine the worries of the present. “So why sign the paperwork at all? Why have me go on record and put Cat at risk?”

“I may not know Cat as well as you do, but I strongly suspect she’ll sign whatever we put in front of her.”

“She never signs nondisclosure agreements. You know that. It’s a source of pride with her.”

“Aside from the fact that Cat has feelings for you, she also wants to protect Supergirl – for National City’s sake and CatCo’s. She’ll sign.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“And when she does, both she and Carter will have all access to you through the DEO. If you’re hurt, she can be by your side. If something were to happen to one of them, they would get the absolute best medical care and security.”

“Pretty sure Cat can afford the best of everything.”

“She can afford the best private security and doctors, but those people don’t have access to the kinds of information, technology, and weapons we do. It’s a good deal for her and for Carter. Cat knows a good deal when she sees one. After all, she fell for you, right?”

Kara gave her a look but she appreciated that Lucy was trying to cheer her up.

They lapsed into awkward silence.

“So… she slept beside you, huh?” Lucy asked with a hopeful smile, trying to set the unpleasant reason for her visit aside to focus on better things.

Kara swallowed. “Yeah.” She heard the wonder in her own voice. “Waking up this morning, holding her in my arms… I want to wake up like that every day of my life.”

Lucy’s features softened at the declaration. “Love looks good on you, Kara.”

“Thanks. And thanks for running interference for me… and for… everything. You’re in that group, you know.”

“Group?”

“The one I’m very protective of.”

Clearing her throat, Lucy dropped her gaze, looking adorably shy. “Likewise. And we’ll make this all work. I’ll do everything in my power to keep Washington and the DEO out of your love life.”

“You better. Or you’ll have to deal with Cat.”

They looked knowingly at each other and mock shuddered at the thought.

****

The elevator door opened and Cat stepped out, making a point not to look at Kara’s desk. She’d come in early to make sure the younger woman would never sit there again, and that fact was souring what had been a damn good morning so far.

“Ms. Grant?”

Cat looked over her shoulder to find James Olsen jogging up behind her as she breezed into her office, dropping her purse by her desk and sitting down. “Can I assume you’ve found something on the Joker?”

His lips flattened into a thin line as he came closer. “Does a whole lot of speculation count?”

Disgusted, Cat rolled her eyes as she booted up her computer. “I think you know the answer to that.”

“We have to start somewhere.” He handed her a tablet and Cat accepted it, reluctantly, slipping on her glasses before skimming through the possible motives for the Joker’s unwelcome presence in National City. Olsen and his team had been thorough, leaving no wild idea unspun, or, unfortunately, off their list. She handed the tablet back. “And here I thought my staff lacked imagination.”

James smiled grimly.

“What do you think? Any of these ideas worth pursuing?”

“A few.” James sighed. “But none of them feel right. None of them make me want to charge out of the office with my camera to investigate.”

Cat had to agree. Despite her lingering jealousy of the man, she considered James Olsen an exceptional journalist. “So maybe this is all about revenge,” she said sourly.

“That crossed my mind as well.

Arching an eyebrow, Cat silently encouraged him to elaborate, sensing there was more on his mind.

“But,” James said slowly. “If this was just about you… he could have planted the bomb and taken out CatCo easily. Warning Supergirl doesn’t make a lot of sense. He pretty much thwarted his own plan.”

“You think this is about her?” Cat really didn’t like that thought.

“I think… I think you and Supergirl are a bonus, but whatever he’s up to, we’re missing that piece. There has to be something here he wants.”

“A bonus,” Cat drawled, returning her attention to her computer as her email came up. “Good to know I’m just icing on the cake.”

James said nothing for a moment before clearing his throat, and Cat cut her gaze to him again. “What?”

“Speaking of cake…” He smiled.

“You got my message,” she realized, having forgotten the email she’d sent him from the car.

“I… yeah.” He sat without being invited to do so, a puzzled smile on his features. “I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised.”

“So you approve?” Cat murmured, already knowing the answer. 

“Of course.”

“Then make sure your little hobbit friend moves Kara’s things to the appropriate space.”

James glanced back at Winn before looking in confusion again at Cat. “You… you called her Kara.”

“Well that’s her name, isn’t it?” Cat huffed, inwardly bemused. 

“Would you mind if we surprised her? I mean, we don’t want to steal your moment, but…”

“It’s a promotion not a marriage proposal, Mr. Olsen.” Cat sighed. She’d wanted to be the only one to help Kara savor her moment, but she supposed that was being selfish. “Very well.”

James clapped his hands together, making her flinch and frown. “Thank you, Ms. Grant. I know this will make her happy, although I’m sure she’s going to miss you.”

Glancing up at him in surprise, James had already left, murmuring in low tones with Winn who looked back at her like she’d just grown another head. Cat rolled her eyes and pretended to work, trying not to think about the down side to Kara’s pending promotion. Not seeing Kara every day was going to be brutal, but it was the right thing to do.

Her gaze shifted to Kara’s desk and Cat swallowed, despising the pang of loss that ached in her chest. It was time to let Kara Danvers soar as high as her alter ego. Cat had just never imagined it would hurt this much to let her go.

****

“It’s not a good idea, Alex.”

Sitting on the edge of her lumpy motel room bed, Alex sighed wearily, but she didn’t stop lacing her boots. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

Hank stood there, hands on his hips, looking like the disapproving father figure he was. The morning sun streamed through the open door behind him, making Alex squint every time she made eye contact. “I know you’re worried about your sister.”

Alex looked up at him, placing her hands on her thighs. “You saw the news. Kara was way too slow to stand up after that explosion.” She was kicking herself for not watching the night before, finding out too late to check on Kara when she would have needed her most.

“It’s too risky.”

“I’m willing to take the risk. I need to know she’s okay. The damn Joker is loose in National City and he’s messing with my sister. I should be there.” Alex stood, her back aching and stomach grumbling. “See if you can find us some food. I’m going to track down a pay phone.”

“They’ll be monitoring Kara’s calls,” Hank pointed out, resigned.

“Gee, I never would have thought of that.”

Hank tipped his head to the side, his eyes narrowing but a small smile on his lips. “Go on the lam with someone and suddenly they forget all about the chain of command.”

Alex fished a quarter out of her pocket, flipped and caught it. “You forget that now we’re on the run, you’re not my commanding officer,” she said cheekily before slipping past him and out the door. “So with all due respect, Sir, you’ll have to deal with a little more sarcasm from me going forward.”

Smile broadening, Hank shook his head. “Hard to imagine you getting more sarcastic, Danvers.”

Alex grinned charmingly and flipped him off. Hank chuckled, the first time she’d heard him laugh in days. Without another word, she headed down the rickety metal stairs and out into the hot morning sun.

“Tell Kara I said hi,” Hank called to her as Alex made her way across the parking lot. She waved back in acknowledgement.

Rounding the corner, Alex slumped against a brick wall, letting her fatigue and worry get the better of her for a moment now that hank couldn’t see her weak. No closer to finding her father, the whole situation was starting to feel hopeless. They were spinning in circles and now Kara was battling a lunatic that had nearly gotten the best of her. Alex needed to know Kara was okay, but even more so, she just desperately needed to hear her sister’s voice.

Shoving off the wall, Alex squared her shoulders and started her search for the rarer and rarer pay phone. If she knew her sister’s schedule as well as she thought she did, she’d have a small window to catch her where no one would be watching or listening. Alex was determined to make the most of it.

****

“Morning, Kara.”

“Morning, Gina.” Kara gave Noonan’s best barista a distracted smile before glancing worriedly at her phone. Lucy’s unexpected visit had delayed her, forcing her to result to super speed to get ready and be at Noonan’s on time.

“You got a phone call, by the way.”

“Huh?” It wasn’t the most artful response, but Kara’s brain struggled to comprehend what Gina meant as she glanced down at her phone again in confusion.

“Not there, silly.” Gina jerked her head toward the back. “We’re not an answering service, but since you keep us in business thanks to your sticky bun addiction and Ms. Grant’s lattes, we made an exception.” She winked.

Kara smiled and thanked her, but her brow furrowed as she wandered through the restaurant, through the door Gina had indicated, and into a small office. The phone was off the hook, waiting expectantly. Kara picked it up, bringing it to her ear as if she were afraid it would explode. “Hello?”

“Dear God. You are the most disgustingly punctual person I know. 8:30, right on the nose.”

Kara’s heart leapt at the voice on the other end of the line. “Alex?” She crowded closer to the phone, glancing around quickly to make sure no one was listening. “Where are you? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Hank is fine. I wanted to make sure you’re okay. I saw the news.”

“I’m okay,” Kara promised, wanting to reassure her sister. “I… I flirted with a burnout, but I got a great night of sleep and already feel a thousand times better.”

“I hate that I couldn’t be there for you.” 

Kara hated it too, but she wouldn’t tell her sister that. Alex had enough on her plate right now without Kara making her feel guilty. “Vasquez and Lucy are looking out for me.”

“They better be.”

Smiling so wide it hurt at her sister’s grumpy declaration, Kara gripped the phone a little tighter, wishing with every fiber of her being she could see Alex right then, hug her hard.

“Sorry for the cloak and dagger stuff, but I know they’re likely monitoring your phone and the phones at CatCo. This was the only way I could think to reach you. I shouldn’t have called, but…”

“I’m glad you did,” Kara interrupted. “God, I’m glad you did. I miss you.”

“I miss you, too,” Alex said with feeling. She sighed again. “You sure you’re okay? The people in the bank…”

“I’m not happy about it, but Cat was pretty determined to make sure I wouldn’t wallow.”

“Cat Grant?” Alex sounded both puzzled and a little horrified that Kara was left to turn to her boss for solace in Alex’s absence.

A nervous flutter made Kara place a hand over her stomach. It was strange to have something so monumental happening in her life and for Alex not to know anything about it. They shared everything. “Yeah. I talked to her afterward. Well, Supergirl did since the Joker came after her again.”

“At the risk of sounding like we’re playing twenty questions… what do you mean _again_?”

“He nearly killed her when she worked at the Daily Planet.”

Alex was quiet a moment, and Kara couldn’t help but wonder what her sister was thinking. As much as she wanted to tell Alex that her relationship with Cat was evolving into something she never would have imagined, Kara kept the news to herself. This wasn’t the time or place to discuss it because she was quite certain Alex would have plenty to say on the subject.

“She’s so beyond lucky to have Supergirl as her assistant. I swear.”

“It’s… certainly working to her advantage right now.” _And mine_ , Kara mentally added. “Are you any closer to finding Jeremiah?”

“We’re tugging on a lead,” Alex grumbled.

“Keep tugging,” Kara urged, “and you know if you need me I’m there.”

“I’m sorry, Kara. I have to go. I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

“Checking up on me?” Kara guessed, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. She didn’t want to hang up, didn’t want to break this connection she so desperately missed and needed.

“Always.”

“Tell Hank I said hi.”

“He said to tell you the same thing.”

Kara smiled but her lower lip quivered as she fought the urge to cry. “I love you,” she choked out.

“Not half as much as I love you. I’ll check in again when I can.”

“Alex…”

The line went dead.

A lone tear splashed on the desk as Kara gently settled the phone back in the cradle.

****


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I diverged from canon, Kara gets a slightly different promotion here, but I've kept a few of the beats from the original scene. Hard to improve upon the original, but hopefully you'll still like it.

Her desk was bare.

Kara drew up, teetering slightly on her short heels as she frowned. No one would ever accuse of her being a neat freak, but she was at least tidy, especially at work where Cat insisted upon it, but her desk was spotless, all traces that anyone even worked there removed. It hadn’t looked like that when she’d left to deal with the Joker the day before. Glancing toward Cat’s office, hoping for an explanation, Kara was disappointed and puzzled to find it empty.

“Winn?”

“Hmm?” Her best friend asked casually. He lazily spun around in his chair to regard her with a bland expression.

“Where’s my stuff?” Kara sat Cat’s coffee down on the barren desk and turned to face him.

“What stuff?”

Shooting him an exasperated glare, Kara made a dramatic sweep of her arm towards her workspace. “My stuff. My computer is gone. My flowers are gone…”

“Huh,” Winn murmured. “Ms. Grant finally fire you for all those times you slipped out to save the day?” He whispered the last part, but they were strangely alone at that hour.

Kara swallowed hard at the thought. “M-my badge still works. Security still let me in the building.” Kara laughed, light and hollow, at what was surely a joke. 

“Cat would still have to officially fire you,” Winn pointed out unhelpfully. “She’d probably want to do that in person. She does like that sort of thing.”

“Winn!” Kara hissed, panic starting to settle in along with a complete lack of appreciation for her best friend’s casual acceptance of her potential termination. Cat wouldn’t do this, Kara tried to convince herself. Especially after throwing around so many hints that she knew exactly who Supergirl was.

Unless Cat was getting cold feet. Or maybe she didn’t want to risk a scandal dating her assistant. Or...

“You know I did see someone take your flowers,” Winn murmured as if he’d just remembered, interrupting Kara’s freak-out and not even knowing it. “Yeah. She went this way.” He got to his feet and motioned for Kara to follow.

“Who?” Kara demanded.

“Some blonde woman I didn’t recognize. She was very cheerful and nice. Never seen her before.”

Kara trotted after him, winding through a short, rarely-used hallway. In fact, Kara was the only one who did use it, often taking advantage of a tucked away stairwell that led to the roof. “Winn, nobody works back here.”

“You sure about that?” Winn opened a door and stepped aside for her to enter.

“Surprise!” Kara twitched and was grateful she didn’t jump through the ceiling or laser anyone in the face as the small office packed full of co-workers clapped and whistled for her.

“Wh… what?” Kara looked away from James’ smiling face into Winn’s sly grin. “What is this?”

“Congratulations, Kara.” James came closer and gave her a warm hug.

“On what?” Kara asked, baffled, wondering if she were still asleep beside Cat’s pool, if this was all some kind of weird dream.

“On your promotion.”

Kara’s breath hitched hard in her chest before she turned, finding Cat lingering in the doorway with a soft smile that made her stomach flutter. “Promotion?”

Cat motioned everyone to leave with a flick of the folder she had in her hand. “Give us a few moments, people. I’ll let you celebrate in a minute.”

Everyone filed out of the office, many offering Kara pats on the back and kind words of encouragement. When the last had left, Winn closed the door with a wink and a smirk. Kara made a mental note to strangle him later.

“Ms. Grant?” Kara asked, confused. “I…”

“I was going to tell you in private this morning, but the hobbit and Mr. Olsen wanted to surprise you. I had a good night’s sleep for a change so I decided to be magnanimous and allow it.”

Kara swallowed, all too aware of how well Cat had slept. “Uh…” She looked around, still not fully comprehending what was happening. “I don’t… I don’t understand.”

Cat smiled, but something in the expression was bittersweet. “This…” she said, gesturing at their surroundings, “is your new office.”

“My new…” Kara looked around again.

“Kara.”

Kara’s attention snapped back to Cat in shock at the casual and correct use of her first name. It was embarrassing how warm it made her feel, how delightfully woozy. She immediately wanted to hear Cat say it again.

“I’m promoting you,” Cat said again with surprising patience. “Effective today, you are no longer my assistant.”

Swallowing hard, Kara felt a mixture of emotions tumble through her. “You… you don’t want me to be your assistant?” She wondered if her near confession that morning had changed everything and not for the better.

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Cat looked positively disgruntled. “I’d keep you in that position forever, but that would be for me and not fair to you.” She took a deep breath. “After more than two years with me, you know praise is something I don’t offer lightly.”

“Ms. Grant…” Kara lapsed into silence when Cat held up her hand.

“I don’t offer it lightly,” Cat repeated, “so you would do well to be quiet and enjoy it.”

Kara nodded obediently, and Cat smiled, that tiny, almost devious grin that Kara secretly adored.

“You have excelled in every way.” Cat hesitated a moment, collecting her thoughts. “I hired you to schedule and cater to my whims, to keep my mind clear so I could focus on CatCo. Within a month, you were doing all of that flawlessly, and I saw… potential.”

Kara said nothing, hearing the other woman out, even if she could scarcely believe what she was saying.

“I noticed you had a good eye for design. Your writing skills impressed me. The more actual work I threw your way, the more you flourished. I began to get annoyed that I couldn’t find something you weren’t good at doing.”

A slow smile came to Kara’s lips as she warmed with Cat’s compliments.

“And after all the demands I put on you, all the work, all the decisions I forced you to make for this company, and let’s not forget the fortitude to put up with me and my moods and still keep that sunny smile intact, you keep growing, keep flourishing.”

“Ms. Grant,” Kara said again, her voice faint with disbelief. She’d dreamed of hearing Cat praise her, but she never expected anything like this. “I…”

“I’ve mentored a lot of women in my career,” Cat said offhandedly. “I wanted them to have the chances I had to beg, borrow, and steal for myself. But none of them were the whole package. None of them had the kind of potential that excited me. Then you walked through my door. My 10:15 with promises of how ordinary you were.”

Ducking her head, Kara couldn’t help but blush.

“I just want to be useful,” Cat said, recalling Kara’s words. “And you have been. So much so that I forgive you for lying through your teeth about how exceptional you are.”

“Ms. Grant…”

“I’m not finished.” Cat moved away from her, pacing the small confines of the office. “I want you to be my protégé, Kara. You’re already practically capable of running CatCo with what I’ve taught you, but now it’s time to take your learning to another level.” She sat on Kara’s desk, crossing her ankles to look at her expectantly.

“Protégé?” Kara shook her head. “I don’t…”

“If a laundry list of all the ways you’re unqualified for that comes out of your mouth, I’ll withhold the raise that comes with this new position.”

Kara clamped her mouth shut.

“Good girl,” Cat murmured with a smirk that made Kara’s knees weak. “Now, I could map out a meteoric rise for you here, but you’re someone who likes to do things her own way. I admire that, most of the time, so I’m going to see how you surprise me.”

“Surprise you?” Finally getting her bearings, Kara moved closer.

“I want you to choose where you go from here. I want you to decide what you want and then we’ll talk.”

“You’re letting me choose my promotion?”

“Within reason. You’re not going to leapfrog to VP or something. And you’re going to have to find me another assistant for starters.”

They stared at each other, Cat watching her expectantly.

“What if… what if running a media empire isn’t what I want to do?”

Cat’s lips quirked, and Kara could tell her honest question pleased the other woman. “I’m not going to force you, Kara. This is about you, ultimately. What you want from a career. I want to help you figure that out, flourish into the success you’re destined to be.”

Finding out Hank was a Martian had surprised her less than this moment. Kara lowered her head, trying to formulate a response, helpless to think this might be more about them and less about her.

“You should know,” Cat began slowly, and Kara could hear Cat’s heart rate tick up noticeably. “This promotion has been in the works for more than a month. Given the latitude I’m offering you to choose your own future here, a considerable number of variables needed to be ironed out.” She stood up from the desk and sauntered closer, handing Kara the folder in her hands.

Kara gaped at her for a moment, half wondering if Cat had read her mind before she flipped open the file, seeing the date of Cat’s request and all the department heads who had signed off, willing to allow Kara the opportunity to serve under them. It was a long list, and Kara swallowed, overwhelmed by the faith the people of CatCo had in her. 

Taking a deep breath, Kara hesitantly looked at Cat again, the memory of the morning they’d shared just a few hours ago fresh in her mind. “Why are you telling me this?” Her stomach did a nervous somersault as she waited for an answer.

“I think you know why.” Cat stared at her a moment, the air charging between them. “I don’t want you to think this achievement is the result of anything other than your own hard work. Nothing… personal… is at play here.”

They lapsed into thick and heavy silence, Kara’s heart pounding so hard she was sure Cat could hear it.

“Cat…”

The older woman’s lips slowly tipped upward in a smile. “Barely promoted five minutes and it’s already ‘Cat?’”

“Ms. Grant,” Kara corrected knowingly, dizzy as Cat’s smile only widened. She wanted nothing more than to kiss that smile, to see if Cat would kiss her back, would confirm that what was happening between them wasn’t just reserved for Supergirl. “Why did you give me this out of the way office?”

Hazel eyes sparkled. “The one that happens to be next to the stairwell that leads to the roof? The one that no one would be able to see you coming and going?”

Kara took a slow breath and nodded.

“No particular reason,” Cat teased, deadpan.

Holding tight to her courage, Kara stepped closer, watching with interest as Cat drew up a little straighter, looking at her the very same way she had on the balcony that morning. “Cat… I…” Kara reached for her glasses, planning to slip them off, but Cat gently caught her wrist.

“Not now,” Cat said, looking regretful. “Not when there is a line of people outside your office waiting to get in here and celebrate. But...” Cat swallowed. “I am looking forward to hearing what you have to say.”

Kara smiled, so happy she felt like she couldn’t breathe. “You didn’t have to do this.”

“Yes, I did,” Cat insisted before she reluctantly let Kara go. “I should have done it a long time ago. I’ve been looking for a protégé my entire career, Kara. I found her with you.”

The praise warmed Kara like a caress and she itched to touch the older woman. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Take the time and think things over. Just because I would trust you with my empire at some point doesn’t mean you’d actually want it, and that’s okay,” Cat promised. “Let’s figure out what you want for now, how you think you can make a difference, and we’ll go from there.”

“Thank you,” Kara whispered.

Cat nodded once. “Enjoy your end of _Working Girl_ moment. You’ve earned it.”

“The end of _Working Girl_ always makes me cry.”

“Me too,” Cat said softly before she brushed past Kara, heading to the door. “As for… everything else… we’ll talk soon.”

Kara nodded, looking forward to the moment with anticipation rather than dread.

Cat flung open the door and Winn nearly fell inside, straightening at the last moment with a sheepish grin. She rolled her eyes in Kara’s direction, earning her a charmed smile before Cat breezed past the group of employees waiting to wish Kara well.

Kara wanted to do nothing more than follow her, to confess and confirm everything, to break down that final wall between them so she could let Cat Grant all the way in.

“Forgive me?” Winn teased, holding up a bottle of champagne as her co-workers crowded into her new office.

“You’re dead to me,” Kara muttered, more thrilled by the thought of moving forward with Cat than moving up in her career. It was a bonus that she got to do both. 

Winn didn’t look remotely apologetic for his deception, and Kara had to laugh as James returned holding the biggest cake Kara had ever seen.

“I got you so good,” Winn crowed.

“Yeah. Yeah you did,” she admitted, unable to stop smiling.

****

So much for talking soon.

Kara sighed and sat down on Cat’s balcony, frustrated to find Cat’s office empty and the lights off - again. She’d hoped to catch the other woman before she left for Carter’s school assembly but a pile-up on the bridge had delayed her.

It had been two days since her promotion. Two days of whirlwind meetings with department heads trying to tempt her to join their divisions. Two days of barely seeing Cat in passing let alone long enough to have the talk they so desperately needed. After two years of being in Cat’s company almost every day, Kara was going into withdrawal. 

Kara still owed Cat the truth and it was eating away at her, keeping her from being able to fully focus on anything else. Tomorrow was their date, and Kara didn’t want either of them going into it before she’d had a chance to come clean. It was a formality at this point, but Cat deserved to hear her say the words, and Kara _wanted_ to say them. She wanted Cat to go into whatever came next between them knowing everything. 

Her phone beeped and Kara slipped it out, smiling faintly when she saw it was a call from Lucy. “Hey,” she greeted.

“Hey yourself. Nice work on that pile-up.”

“Perfect example of why you shouldn’t text and drive,” Kara muttered. “Where are you?”

“Walking very wearily up the stairs to my apartment. Elevator is out.”

“That sucks.” Kara grinned, knowing Lucy lived on the 21st floor of a fairly nice complex. “Do I need to come fly you home?”

Lucy groaned. “Don’t tempt me. I’m almost there. Don’t think I need to worry about cardio tonight, though. Where are you?”

“Cat’s balcony at CatCo.”

“Stalker.”

Kara snorted in amusement. “I wanted to talk to her before she left, but I missed her.”

“Talk to her talk to her?”

“What does that even mean?” Kara chided playfully as she crossed to the rail, looking out at the National City skyline.

“Did you spill the beans?”

“I was going to.”

“You two are turning into a comedy of errors.” 

“She all but admitted she knows when she promoted me the other day.”

“You got promoted?” Lucy asked, pausing in the stairwell.

Kara winced. “Yeah. Sorry. It’s not… official yet exactly. Cat wanted me to think things over, decide what I wanted to do next.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah. I’m still trying to process the whole thing.”

“So you’re not her assistant anymore?” Lucy started walking again.

“No.” Kara sighed.

“Oh c’mon, Kara. You can’t be upset about that. If anyone at CatCo deserved a promotion, it’s you. And that Cat is letting you choose your path? That’s huge.”

“I haven’t seen her in two days, Lucy. Two whole days!”

“You’re pathetic.” Lucy’s tone was warm and teasing, though, and Kara was grateful their initial wariness with one another was morphing into a trusted friendship. 

“Not going to deny that.” Kara heard a heavy metal door open followed by a grateful sigh from Lucy. She grinned knowingly. “Made it?”

“Barely. And I’m taking you out next week. Promotions should be celebrated. If I can draw you away from your girlfriend for an hour or two.” 

“Fine,” Kara groaned playfully. “If you must.”

Keys jingled in the lock, and Kara heard another door swing open. There was a little gasp on the other end and Kara went still, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end.

“Lucy?”

A click followed by a whine carried to Kara over the phone. “LUCY!” Kara shouted.

There was a barrage of sounds before something thudded heavily and the phone screeched with feedback and cut off. Kara froze when a small fireball erupted above the skyline. 

“No…” she whispered before leaping into the air.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. Parts of the chapter were giving me fits.

Lucy fumbled with her keys, switching her phone to her other ear as she shouldered her door open. She flipped on her light and froze, gasping softly in sudden fear.

“Lucy?” Kara’s voice sharpened with concern.

Training, ingrained down to her marrow, had Lucy pivoting away from the spraypainted countenance of the Joker on her living room wall the second she saw it. She slammed back through her apartment door, hearing the telltale click and whine as one of the Joker’s bombs primed. 

“LUCY!” Kara shouted.

Panting, Lucy hit the heavy metal door of the stairwell as the bomb detonated, the concussive force throwing her down a flight of stairs and into the wall as fire greedily chased after her. The whole building shook, alarms screaming to life as the sprinkler system engaged.

Blown off its hinges, the door came to rest on top of Lucy’s still form, flames licking greedily above, spreading over the ceiling and crawling down the walls. Smoke billowed down the stairs, thick, noxious, and purple. Lucy groaned, trying to stand, to get away, but her whole body screamed in pain.

And then the fire was gone, snuffed out, the sprinklers icing above her as the stairwell turned frigidly cold, frost coating the floor near her fingertips. The door was thrown off her with negligent ease.

“Lucy,” Kara cried softly, dropping to one knee. “Don’t move,” she ordered when Lucy attempted to roll over.

“The Joker,” Lucy hissed through gritted teeth, gripping Kara’s arm with enough force to bruise on a normal human. “He…”

“I know. It’s okay. You’re going to be okay.” Kara’s hands moved over her carefully, assessing, comforting.

“James…” Lucy struggled to hold on to consciousness. “If he came for me… he’ll come... for James.”

Kara sucked in a deep breath. 

“Go,” Lucy urged. “Go…”

“Stay with her,” Supergirl ordered a handful of neighbors as they stumbled out into the stairwell to evacuate. “I’ll be back,” she promised, running a gentle hand through Lucy’s hair. “Just hang on.”

Lucy didn’t hear her, no longer able to fight the darkness rushing over her.

****

Kara’s ringtone sounded and James smiled, fumbling in his pocket for his phone as he pushed off the wall of the elevator and started out onto his floor. He’d told Kara he needed time to think after the Red K incident, but when he’d finally been ready to talk, ready to take a chance on what they could have, Kara had been unusually preoccupied and distant. 

When he’d seen the beautiful and expensive flowers appear on her desk earlier in the week, his stomach had plunged, but she hadn’t said anything to Winn about a new man in her life. Hoping he hadn’t missed his chance and ready to set things in motion, he answered the call with a wide grin.

“Hey!” James greeted as he distractedly shoved the door open to his apartment. “How’s CatCo’s newest rising star?”

Shock rippled through him when he saw the wide grin of the Joker splashed across his windows as the door closed and locked behind him. He heard a click and a whine and knew deep in his guts what that meant, but his feet were leaden, holding him frozen in place. 

A crash and something hit him hard, knocking the wind out of him. Warm, impossibly strong arms, wrapped around him as they barreled toward the wall of windows, Kara rotating at the last possible moment to take the brunt of the impact as they punched through the glass. The world spun wildly again as she rolled once more, Kara keeping her body between him and the explosion that whooshed out from the building behind them.

Supergirl landed in the courtyard, stumbling with him a step or two before she set him down and raced back up the building without a word.

James stared as fire licked from the remains of his apartment toward the night sky. A crowd gathered, watching as Supergirl used her freeze breath to put out the flames. 

“Dude, is that your apartment?” A kid on a skateboard asked.

“It was.” James took a deep breath, trying to process what had just happened, unable to believe that the Joker had come for him. 

“Still. That was a badass save. Supergirl is the shit.”

“Tell me about it,” James muttered.

Supergirl landed again in the middle of a growing crowd as everyone began to applaud. She gave everyone a tight smile that didn’t reach her eyes, and James instantly knew whatever was happening was worse than he realized.

“Are you okay?” Kara demanded, her suit and face streaked with soot. She touched his arm, her gaze sweeping over him clinically, but there was no anticipated and hoped for embrace.

James nodded. “Impeccable timing as always.”

Kara’s features crumbled slightly. “I have to go. He came after a mutual friend first.”

“Cat?” James guessed, his stomach clenching at the thought.

Kara swallowed, meeting his gaze meaningfully. “Lucy. I have to get back. She knew he’d come for you or I never would have made it in time. Meet me. You know where.”

Kara didn’t linger to offer comfort, blowing James backwards slightly in her wake as she shot toward the night sky.

****

The assembly mercifully over, Cat turned her phone on as other parents did the same in the aisles around her. She frowned as a bevy of alerts popped up on her home screen, irritated that she’d clearly missed out on something important.

“Ms. Grant?”

Cat sighed, glancing up with a bored expression that immediately morphed into one of wariness. A small squad of black clad agents stood before her, and Cat’s stomach plunged in alarm. “What happened?” she demanded, ignoring the people milling around them in the theatre, waiting on their children just as she was.

“Ma’am, my name is Agent Susan Vasquez.” The agent flashed her credentials, and Cat saw the letters F-B-I before the identification was whipped away. “I need you to come with me.”

“Is it Supergirl?” Cat winced when she heard an edge of panic creeping into her voice. “Is she all right?” 

“She’s fine, Ma’am. She sent us.”

“Then what’s this about?”

“There was another attack by the Joker tonight, Ma’am. Supergirl wanted to insure your safety. We have agents retrieving your son, and we’re going to transfer you to a secure location until we’re confident your residence and business are clear.”

“Who was attacked?” 

“James Olsen and Lucy Lane.”

Cat drew in a sharp breath, dread curdling in her stomach. “Are they all right?”

“Supergirl was able to reach Mr. Olsen in time. Major Lane is being transferred for treatment now.”

Moving closer, Cat watched the young woman closely. “Is she all right?” she asked again.

“I don’t know, Ma’am. I hope so.”

“Come with me,” Cat ordered, taking charge, “and tell your agents not to touch my son. I’ll get him.”

Pivoting on her heel, Cat made her way back toward the stage, threading through the crowd with practiced ease as she brought up her contacts on her phone. Her thumb hovered above Kara’s number before she scrolled instead. This was not how she wanted to find out her former assistant and Supergirl were definitely the same person.

Cat punched James’ phone number, waiting irritably for him to answer.

“Ms. Grant.” 

Relief filtered through her, but it was still coupled strongly with alarm. “James, I understand you’ve had an eventful evening.” Cat was pleased her voice remained even. She glanced behind her, noting Vasquez was keeping pace, but the agent was remaining at a discreet distance.

“You could say that,” he said quietly. “My respect for you has climbed a few more notches. I didn’t realize just how terrifying it was to have the Joker want you dead.”

“Welcome to the club.”

James snorted faintly.

“Lucy?”

She heard him swallow, and Cat braced for the worst. “In surgery.”

“Baby Lane is tough, Mr. Olsen. She’s going to make it.” Cat dared the universe to prove her wrong. She spied Carter in a small group of kids, looking anxious and out of place. He hated these sorts of things, but the school always insisted every child participate. Carter saw her, his features momentarily brightening until he spied the look on her face. Cat tried to offer him an encouraging smile, but Carter wasn’t buying it. She took a breath. “Is Supergirl there?”

There was a pause, and Cat could almost picture the surprise rippling over James’ features at the question.

“Uh… Yeah.”

“Put her on please.”

“Mom? What’s going on?” Carter asked as Cat reached him.

“We need to go. Some friends have been hurt.” 

“The Joker?” 

Cat nodded once, and Carter’s gaze shifted nervously onto Vasquez. The agent only briefly made eye contact with Cat’s son before she dropped her gaze, waiting for them to get closer. She’d been briefed on Carter, Cat realized, and something thawed in her knowing Kara had made sure this ordeal would be as comfortable for them as it could be.

“Ms. Grant,” Supergirl said formally.

Cat stopped walking, not realizing just how terrified she’d been for Kara until she heard her voice. “Are you okay?”

There was a pause as the background noise changed, Kara clearly moving away from James to get a little privacy. “Physically,” Kara admitted. “I’m sorry for sending a team. I just…”

“They’re your friends. I understand completely. Thank you for looking out for us.” They began to thread their way back through the crowd, Carter holding tight to Cat’s arm as the agents fell in formation around them. They garnered plenty of concerned looks, but with a crowd that included billionaires and senators, an armed guard was not out of the ordinary. Vasquez stayed close, a strangely comforting presence on Cat’s right, the agent clearly tasked with protecting Carter in particular. “Apparently we’re being brought to some top secret location.”

“Just for a little while,” Supergirl promised. “Until we’re sure you’re safe.”

“Will you be there?” Cat asked, needing to see the younger woman, and Cat suspected Kara needed her as well. She could hear it in the timbre of Kara’s voice, and Cat ached to hold her, to make this insanity more bearable for them both.

“Yes. There will be paperwork…”

“A nondisclosure agreement,” Cat guessed with disgust, wondering why Kara swallowed hard and her voice wavered when she replied.

“Yes.”

“If I sign it, will I be allowed to see you?”

Kara was quiet a moment. “You’ll get full access. I… I already started that ball rolling earlier this week.”

A black Chevy Suburban loomed before them as they stepped outside, more agents waiting alongside. Cat tried not to feel exposed, to feel afraid, but she wrapped her arm around Carter’s shoulders, pulling him closer. “They know about…?” Cat swallowed in surprise.

“I wanted to be sure… if something happened to me again…” Kara sighed. “The people who need to know your importance to me have been made aware of our… relationship.”

An agent opened the door to the vehicle and Cat slid inside, Carter scurrying up after her and pressing himself against her hip. Even in the middle of the hell they suddenly found themselves in, Cat felt strangely warm at the news. “I’ll sign whatever you need me to.”

“Thank you, Cat,” Kara breathed in relief. “Are you on your way?”

“Yes, your Agent Vasquez runs her operations quite smoothly,” Cat murmured. The other woman didn’t look at her, keeping her eyes on the streets beyond the tempered and tinted glass, but Cat knew she was listening.

“I trust her, Cat. They’re all good people with you, but Vasquez is a friend.”

“Good to know.” Cat hesitated, wanting to say more, wanting Kara to know just how much she cared, but this wasn’t the time to say the words. “If Lucy’s condition changes, please let us know.”

“I will. See you soon.” Kara disconnected and Cat sighed.

****

Carter gaped and Cat had to admit she was tempted to do the same. While Cat knew of the DEO’s existence, she’d never imagined a fortress like the one she found herself in now. Agents moved about them with purpose, the monitor wall tracking God only knew what, putting the one in her office to shame. She was uneasy being so far underground, but she couldn’t deny they were probably in the safest place in National City with the Joker running amok.

“Ms. Grant, this way please.” Vasquez motioned at Cat to follow.

Cat let her gaze sweep the room one last time, wondering what secrets lurked down the various hallways that spoked off around them before gently coaxing Carter along.

“Is that a spaceship?” Carter asked suddenly.

Cat’s attention snapped off Vasquez and instantly onto her son as he broke away from her, jogging toward some sort of vessel nestled in a corner of the command center. With an apologetic glance for the agent, Cat followed, her eyes studying the craft curiously as Carter ran his hand along the alien metal.

“Mom, it’s so cool,” Carter gushed. 

He was such a nerd, and Cat loved him for it, but this sadly wasn’t the time to indulge him. “Sweetheart, I don’t think that’s a toy.”

“Not quite.”

Kara’s voice slid like honey down Cat’s ears, and she turned to find the younger woman drawing closer, cape swishing gently behind her. She smelled strongly of generic soap, suggesting she’d recently showered somewhere inside the facility. Cat couldn’t help but wonder if Kara had been washing off soot and ash or Lucy Lane’s blood. They stared at each other for a moment, silently communicating their fears and concerns for a mutual friend but giving voice to none of them with Carter present.

“It’s a spaceship!” Carter declared again.

“I know,” Supergirl answered with a charmed but tired grin. “It’s my spaceship.” She winked.

Carter’s eyes went wide and round, and Cat suspected they looked very much alike in that moment. 

“You can sit in it if you want,” Kara told him, grateful for the distraction. “Just don’t touch the control panel.”

Carter’s face lit up like Christmas. Kara chuckled before fetching a rolling set of steps and allowing him to scramble up them and step inside as she watched him fondly. Cat eyed them both, a bloom of warmth in her chest beginning to melt away the cold fear that had gripped her since learning of the latest attack. The way Kara looked at Carter, the easy way they bonded… it just made Cat fall that much harder, to the point where she knew no one else could ever compete with the way this woman made her feel. 

“Is that safe?” Cat cleared her throat as she drew closer, her shoulder brushing up against Kara’s arm. The younger woman shifted, increasing the pressure, and Cat savored the heat of her in the cold underground bunker.

“Perfectly. Unless he starts smashing lots of buttons and turns on the propulsion system.” Kara smiled softly, and Cat ached to touch her, to hold her, to soothe away the pain she could see in those cherished blue eyes. 

“Is Lucy alright?” 

“I hope so.” Kara sighed. “She should be out of surgery soon.” 

“This is really your ship?” Carter asked as he situated himself in the seat and studied everything in fascination, running his fingers over the Kryptonian words he found inside. 

“It’s actually my stasis pod. This thing was my pilot, my doctor, my teacher, and my guardian on my journey across the stars.” Kara tapped the hull. ”I was about your age when I came to Earth in this from Krypton.” 

Cat’s breath caught at the thought, a young Kara hurdled across the vast universe, alone in a ship this small. “I thought Superman was just a baby when he came here.” Too young to know what was happening, to feel fear, to watch his world die and understand what he’d lost.

“He was.” There was a shadow in Kara’s eyes now, but she was still smiling. “I’ll… tell you the story sometime. Maybe I’ll even let you publish it.” She smiled, a tinge of sadness in the expression that didn’t go unnoticed.

“Sounds like an exclusive,” Cat teased, intrigued, but also oddly worried.

“The world was supposed to know Supergirl before they met Superman.” Kara’s gaze was unfocused for a moment, distant, and Cat wondered where her mind had gone, what memory had turned those blue eyes desolate. But then Kara blinked and the look was gone, the memory relegated to whatever box Kara usually kept it tucked into.

“That’s a story I’d definitely like to hear, whether you let me publish it or not.”

Kara smiled, her expression both wistful and charmed by Cat’s interest.

“Ma’ams,” Vasquez said apologetically. “Sorry to interrupt, but the major is out of surgery.”

“Thanks, Susan,” Supergirl said with relief. “Would you mind watching Carter for a few minutes? Make sure he doesn’t go for a ride?” she added with a weak grin before she ruffled the young boy’s hair.

Vasquez smiled. “If Mr. Grant doesn’t mind my company, I’d be glad to.”

****

“They had you sign the paperwork?” Kara asked when they were finally alone in a long hallway.

“In the car,” Cat admitted. 

“Did Vasquez mention the…”

“The debriefings, yes.” Cat’s mouth twisted into a sour expression. “Not thrilled that Carter will have to sit through one, but I suppose there are worse things than having an organization with these resources at your disposal.”

Lucy had been right. Kara closed her eyes for a moment, praying for her friend, praying she wasn’t about to lose someone else who mattered. “I wasn’t so sure you’d want to deal with all this. Being with me isn’t exactly easy.”

“Easy is boring.” Cat reached out, putting her hand on Kara’s elbow. “I’d sit through a hundred debriefings for you,” she insisted, and the intensity and devotion in her voice convinced Kara she meant every word. “I might not like it, and I don’t promise to play nice, but I understand the need for discretion, for the DEO to not only know what you’re doing but… _who_ you’re doing.” 

Kara blushed to the roots of her hair, but Cat’s words still warmed her, still snuck into all those fractures in her soul where she felt unworthy, like a failure, and made her feel stronger for having heard them.

“But you promise me they aren’t controlling you. Promise me that you’re not at their beck and call.” Cat’s tone had turned steely, bordering on angry.

“I’m not,” Kara vowed, falling even more in love with Cat by the moment. “This is a mutually beneficial relationship, but I can walk away at any time.”

“They let you think that...”

“I’ve done it once before, and I’d like to see them try to stop me if I decide to do it again.”

Cat eyed her skeptically. “I’m fine with keeping the DEO’s secrets, but if there ever comes a time when they’re a threat rather than an ally to you, that piece of paper will be worthless. I don’t care what deep, dark hole they try to toss me into. I’ll destroy them.”

Kara didn’t doubt for a moment that Cat would deliver on that threat, and Kara was reminded of Lucy’s warning about the suits in Washington being wary of their relationship. She suddenly, fully understood why, and Kara smiled darkly, rather liking the thought that she and Cat together made them nervous. They should be.

“It’s… kinda hot when you get protective of me,” Kara teased with a slow smile.

“Only kind of?” Cat sniffed, pretending to be offended.

Kara did her best to suppress a grin and failed miserably. Rao she loved this woman, loved her fire, her passion, her commitment to those she cared for. To know she was in such small, exclusive company made Kara’s heart soar. It wasn’t the time or place, but Kara drew her in close, kissing her gently anyway. “A lot actually,” she promised when they parted.

“Good,” Cat whispered before she tipped her chin up and kissed Kara again, this time with a little more heat.

After a few moments, they withdrew reluctantly, and Kara put her forehead against Cat’s, taking a moment to steady herself as she breathed the woman in. Cat’s presence centered her thoughts, kept them from spiraling out of control. 

“Tell me what happened,” Cat finally urged.

Reluctantly, Kara did, leaving out how terrified she’d been that she’d find Lucy dead, that she wouldn’t get to James in time.

“I’m surprised Lucy is still here,” Cat murmured, running her fingers reassuringly over Kara’s arm, picking up on her distress in spite of Kara’s efforts to hide it. “I thought she went back to Metropolis.” 

“Lucy is the new Acting Director of the DEO.”

Cat blinked in surprise. “Well. I didn’t think she could do better than CatCo. She certainly proved me wrong.”

Kara smiled, but her heart wasn’t in it.

“So did the Joker go after Lucy because of her relationship with you or because she’s Lois Lane’s sister?”

“There’s no way he could know about Lucy’s role here, Cat. It’s top secret and too recent. And the fact that he targeted James as well… this was meant to hurt my cousin.”

“The Joker didn’t warn you this time. He wanted to make sure they died.”

Kara swallowed and nodded. 

“Me, Lucy, James…”

“All roads lead to Metropolis. What if all this isn’t about any of us? What if it’s all about Kal-El?”

“I’m not sure if that makes me feel better or worse,” Cat grumbled.

They stopped before a door labeled “recovery” and Cat hesitated. “Is James here?”

“He is,” Kara admitted, knowing the ensuing moment was going to be awkward. 

“He knows all about you, doesn’t he?”

Kara sighed, wishing they’d had the chance to talk. “He does, but Kal told him, not me.”

A mixture of emotions flickered over Cat’s features before she schooled her expression into one of disinterest. She nodded once, and Kara held the door open for her before following her inside. 

James glanced up and did a double-take when he saw his boss step into the room. He scrambled to his feet, blinking in surprise at her presence. “Ms. Grant.”

“James.” Cat sounded every inch like the CEO she was. “Are you all right?”

“Uh…” James glanced at Kara, confused, but she simply shook her head, not wanting to get into anything with him right now. “Just worried about Lucy.”

“If you need assistance with a place to stay, Catco can arrange a room at the Plaza.”

“Thank you,” James said, genuinely touched by the offer, “but I think I might just bunk down here for the weekend with all the well-trained agents and their arsenal of big, scary guns.” He looked at Kara and smiled faintly. “Unless you’re up for bodyguard duty?”

Kara felt Cat imperceptibly stiffen next to her. “I think you might be better off here, actually.”

The doctor chose that perfect moment to interrupt. She stepped into the room, giving James a perfunctory nod before turning to Supergirl and offering her a smile that had the tension in Kara’s shoulders falling away.

“She’ll be fine,” the doctor said, offering Cat a curious glance. “There was a small amount of internal bleeding. We’ve wrapped her ribs and set her arm. She’ll have a headache for a few days, but knowing the director, that won’t keep her off her feet for long.”

“Thank you, Doctor Hamilton,” Kara said sincerely, shaking the other woman’s hand.

“If you’d like to see her, I can take one of you back at a time.”

“If it’s okay with both of you,” James said, “I’d like to…”

“Of course,” Cat murmured before Kara could say a word. 

James smiled faintly as he followed the doctor, but he gave Kara one last puzzled glance before he shut the door behind him.

Cat sighed. “If we need to cancel our plans…” Before she could finish that thought, Cat found herself wrapped in a warm, strong hug. “Oh,” she murmured in surprise, melting into Kara’s arms, her hands fisting in Supergirl’s cape as she turned her head to nuzzle against Kara’s neck.

“I’m not canceling our plans,” Kara told her. “Not for James. Not for anybody.”

“You’re sure?”

Kara leaned back, tipping Cat’s chin up before she kissed her. She held nothing back, not giving a damn who might walk in on them, who might see. Kara was proud of this, of them, and she wanted Cat to know it, kissing her with a raw intensity that left them both shaking when the moment passed.

Breathless, Cat leaned against her. “If you kissed me like that so I wouldn’t be jealous of James Olsen, it worked.”

Kara reveled in the way Cat made her feel, holding her close as her hands teased light strokes up and down Cat’s back. “I kissed you like that because I’m crazy about you. You don’t need to be jealous of James. Not even a little.”

“Is that right?” Cat looked smug.

Kara decided the best way to prove it was to kiss her again.

****

The news played quietly in the background as Hank watched Alex overreact with a frown. “This is a bad idea, Alex.”

“You’re not talking me out of this.” She gestured angrily at the television. “The Joker went after James, after Lucy. I’m going home.” Alex continued to gather what few items she’d managed to accumulate in her time on the run and tossed them into a duffle bag. Hank gripped both of her hands as she started to zip it closed. 

“I know you’re worried, and you have every reason to be, but the last thing Kara needs is you being thrown in prison or worse. You’re a fugitive, Alex. What makes you think you can even get close to her?”

Alex’s gaze dropped to the floor as her jaw clenched in frustration. “I have to do something. My sister…”

“Loves you to pieces and needs you safe.”

Swallowing, Alex drew in a ragged breath. “Hank…”

“I’ve got an idea,” Hank murmured. “A way for you to communicate with Kara without putting yourself at risk.”

Alex narrowed her eyes as she regarded him. “What kind of idea?”

“The kind that involves a burner phone and a shape shifter. You’ve already got one at your disposal. We just need to pick up the other.”

Considering the plan, Alex could find no fault with it. “You could have suggested this before,” she muttered, letting go of the bag.

“I was waiting for you to suggest it. You’ve been a real let down.”

Alex scowled, making Hank chuckle. “Still, it’s risky. With a DEO team on CatCo and Cat Grant, they could be looking out for you, too. They might be able to spot you depending on the technology they’re outfitted with. And that doesn’t even take into account General Lane’s men.”

“I’ll be fine. Live to be as old as I am and you learn a few tricks.”

“True. You are ancient,” Alex deadpanned.

“Hey now.” Hank put his hands on his hips and glared, but his eyes danced with amusement as Alex smirked.

“Fine. We’ll play this your way, but I’m coming with you. I need to be close to National City until this business with the Joker blows over.”

“Fair enough. I’m not happy about the Joker’s escalation, either. We’ll stay close until the situation is resolved.”

“I just hope for everyone’s sake that’s soon,” Alex sighed.


	5. Chapter 5

“What are you doing?”

Lucy looked up, smiling tiredly as Supergirl sauntered into the recovery ward. It was early, just shy of dawn, but Lucy had come to expect Kara to drop by the DEO at all hours. “Signing off on expense reports. Part of the glamorous duties of being the acting director.” She shut the folder and set it aside with a wince, shifting uncomfortably in her hospital bed. “What brings you by?”

“You,” Kara said bluntly, crossing her arms as she eyed Lucy with disapproval. “You’re supposed to be resting.”

“Did Vasquez tell you I wasn’t? That snitch.”

Kara grinned but it didn’t reach her eyes, the worry so clear in that crystal blue Lucy almost felt guilty for being unable to sleep.

“I’m fine,” Lucy promised, hoping to convince herself with the declaration as well. Nightmares of fire and the Joker’s face had proven more powerful than the drugs they’d given her for the pain. “Well, not ‘fine’ but I’m alive and plan on staying that way. Couldn’t sleep so I figured I might as well do something useful.”

“You got blown up,” Kara reminded her.

“My apartment got blown up. I tried to surf a shockwave and wiped out.”

Kara snorted softly and drew closer, her fingers wrapping around the bedrail. Lucy watched her, touched by the lingering fear and concern radiating off the superhero in waves. Reaching out with the hand not impeded by a cast and sling, Lucy covered one of Kara’s hands with her own and squeezed. “I’ll be okay, Kara,” she said, dipping her head to make sure she made eye contact.

“I was so scared when I heard that bomb prime. I…” Kara swallowed and shook her head. “I’m sorry…”

“For what?” Lucy wondered. “Kara, you saved my life.”

“You saved your own life, I just put out the fire.” Kara turned the bedrail loose when they both heard it squeal as the metal bent. “I’m just glad you’re fast on your feet. And James owes you one. I mean… _huge_.”

Lucy smiled faintly only to grimace at the pounding in her head.

“You okay?”

She sighed. “Yeah. It’s just the concussion. Ears are still ringing a little and there’s almost, but not quite, two of you. Lucky me.” She settled back into her pillows. “You talk to your cousin about all this?”

Kara nodded. “Last night. He doesn’t know what the Joker is up to anymore than we do.”

“Is he coming to National City?”

“He offered, but I told him not to. What’s he going to do that we aren’t already doing?”

Lucy nodded carefully. “I talked to Lois.” Hearing from her sister had been a nice surprise, actually. “Once she was convinced I wasn’t at death’s door she promised to look into the Joker a little as well, see if she can track his recent activities in Gotham, figure out what game he’s playing.”

“We’ll take all the help we can get.”

“Were you out patrolling?” Lucy eyed Kara with bleary eyes. 

“Yeah. Pretty quiet out there.”

“Couldn’t sleep, either, huh?” Lucy teased. “Pre-date jitters?”

“Something like that,” the superhero admitted. “You may have gotten your bell rung, but you’re still pretty damn perceptive.”

Lucy grinned, shifting again. Her aching ribs were going to get old fast. “I understand Cat came to the DEO last night. Vasquez said she signed some important paperwork.”

“You were right,” Kara grumbled playfully. “She was… I won’t say ‘happy’ to sign, but she was more than willing.”

“Told ya.” Lucy sighed, but a soft smile continued to linger on her lips. “I’m just sorry I missed it. I’d like to see what you two are like together now.”

Kara swallowed. “I’m really glad you’re okay.”

Warmth stole through Lucy at Kara’s concern. It was hard to believe she’d once resented this woman. In a short amount of time, Kara Danvers had become one of the best friends Lucy had ever had. 

“I am,” Lucy promised. “And I can’t wait to hear all the details of your date. You better text me tomorrow.”

Ducking her head, Kara actually blushed. “That’s… actually one of the reasons I stopped by.”

“Need a few pointers?”

Kara glared playfully until Lucy chuckled, wincing as her ribs protested. “I actually have a favor to ask.”

“Sure.” Lucy grunted when she moved again, starting to think another shot at sleep might be in order.

Kara watched her, upset over Lucy’s pain. “Carter is supposed to go on a field trip tonight and tomorrow.”

“Ah. Going to have the penthouse all to yourselves, huh?” Lucy said knowingly, enjoying the stronger blush that bloomed on Kara’s cheeks. 

“Maybe. Honestly, I don’t like the idea of him going with the Joker escalating things, though. Cat hasn’t specifically said anything, but I know she’s been talking to some security firms. She doesn’t want to scare him, but…”

“We can put the best team on him. Keep him safe,” Lucy offered.

“I know, but I was thinking… he had so much fun here last night…” Kara looked up at her, those baby blues pleading, and Lucy suddenly had a new appreciation for why Alex so often gave into her sister’s whims. 

“You want us to babysit Cat Grant’s son so you two can have a weekend alone?” Lucy kept her voice at a scandalized whisper, but her amusement with the request was obvious. “Kara Danvers, have you no shame?” 

“He’s got the clearance, he has a strong aptitude for science, and he and Vasquez really hit it off,” Kara explained in a voice bordering on a whine. “I think he’d have a blast playing agent for a day or two, and he’d be in the safest place in the city.”

“There are some risks with him being here, though. A prisoner could escape.”

“I know it’s crazy, but right now, with the Joker out there gunning for Cat, I feel like he’s safer here.”

“He is,” Lucy allowed. “Okay. If he wants to come visit, we’ll make arrangements.”

Kara looked beyond thrilled by her offer, going so far as to pump her fist, and Lucy rolled her eyes. “I owe you so huge for this, Lucy.”

“You owe me details,” Lucy reminded her. “I want to know all about how good Cat Grant is in bed,” she joked. Mostly.

Kara blushed again, but Lucy didn’t miss the anticipation in Kara’s eyes. 

“We’ll send a team for him around 7:00. I can call Cat shortly and clear it with her.” 

“Perfect.” Kara leaned over and kissed her on the forehead, making Lucy blush for a change. “Thank you. Now get some rest.”

“I mean it! I better get my details for this!” Lucy called after her as Kara walked away. 

The superhero tossed her a cheeky wink over her shoulder. Lucy leaned back, glad she at least had something to look forward to this weekend besides enforced bed rest.

****

“Hey.”

Kara drew up short, startled to find James leaning against her desk. A frown flickered across her features as she stepped inside her office and reluctantly shut the door, still amazed to know she actually had one to shut. “What’s up?” she asked warily.

“Didn’t really get the chance to thank you for saving my life last night.”

Squinting slightly, Kara suspected that wasn’t the real reason for James’ visit. She shrugged before moving to her desk, dropping her purse and setting her coffee and a bag with her breakfast next to her computer. “You don’t need to thank me for that, James.”

He shifted, rotating around to watch her, and Kara instantly regretted sitting down as he towered over her. “We haven’t really had much of a chance to talk lately,” he said slowly. “I’ve been trying to connect all week, but…”

“Yeah.” Kara nudged her glasses further up on her nose as she booted her computer. “Sorry. With the Joker and everything and then the promotion… been a little crazy.” She scrounged up a smile, unsettled by how much effort it took.

They were quiet a moment, and Kara’s gaze dropped to the flowers James had scooted out of the way when he’d perched on her desk. They still looked beautiful, and Kara took a deep, appreciative breath of their scent, the reminder of Cat and the way the woman made her feel calming her nerves slightly.

“They’re pretty,” James said, noting her gaze. “From someone special?”

The hint of jealousy in his voice was unnerving. Kara adjusted her glasses again, giving herself a moment to weigh her response. Lying to him was out of the question. “They’re from Cat, actually.”

“Oh… I thought… never mind.” He smiled, relieved, as he brushed the gift off as something insignificant, something work-related, as if Cat Grant were in the habit of bestowing expensive flowers on everyone. “Speaking of Cat… seeing her last night was a surprise.”

Kara’s stomach twisted. Her date with Cat was only hours away, and the last thing she wanted was for something to complicate things more than they were already. “I needed to be sure that she and Carter were safe.”

“Does she know? Who you are?” James frowned, not liking the idea.

Kara shook her head. “Not… officially.” But she would before the day was done, Kara vowed inwardly.

“But you think she has an inkling.”

“She’s Cat Grant,” Kara said with a little pride creeping into her voice. “Good luck keeping a secret from someone that smart.”

“Kara, her knowing about you isn’t smart.”

“I’m not worried,” Kara said with a little more heat than intended. “And if I’m not concerned, then you don’t need to be, either.”

“She’s the Queen of All Media.”

“I was her assistant for more than two years, James. I don’t need to be reminded of Cat’s position or her power.” 

“Did I miss something?” James crossed his arms across his chest. “You freaked out the last time she had you figured out.”

Kara shrugged, wanting to tell him because she wanted the world to know about her and Cat, but she was not going to throw a wrench into this day. She’d tell him later when she was good and ready, when Cat was comfortable with people in their inner circle knowing the truth. “I trust her, James.”

“What has Cat Grant done to earn your trust?” James got to his feet, and Kara tensed, suspecting she was about to be lectured and in no mood to listen. “Kara, she threatened to fire you last time.”

“For all the right reasons,” Kara countered. “Cat has faith in me, as Kara Danvers and as Supergirl.”

“Kara…” James shook his head at her and Kara’s temper ignited.

“I threw her off this building, James. She fell 40 floors until I caught her to remind her what true power was. And when it was all over, Cat forgave me without question. She knew I’d been altered. That it wasn’t me. She took me back, had faith in me, believed in me when no one else but Alex did, even though she had the most reason to never want to talk to me again.”

Kara would never be glad for her brush with Red K, but it had taught her things about herself and the people she cared about. A valuable lesson she refused to ignore given the heavy price she and so many had paid to learn it. “Cat and Alex didn’t need time to think things over,” Kara added.

James hesitated, and Kara knew her petty shot had hit the mark.

“I suppose I deserved that,” James murmured. “I wasn’t exactly fair to you. I was just confused, maybe a little scared of what I was feeling.”

“You weren’t the only one who was confused and scared,” Kara answered tightly, not realizing she’d felt this way until she was in the moment, that she’d felt like she’d earned his rejection only to realize now she hadn’t.

He sighed. “I’m glad Cat forgave you, and she has stood by Supergirl through everything. If you’re comfortable with her knowing the truth then I guess I am too.”

Kara held her tongue, wanting to point out that she didn’t need his permission one way or the other.

“So…” James said slowly. “Can I begin to make it up to you?” He smiled charmingly. “I’ve got tickets to a concert tonight. Great seats. We could go out to dinner. Celebrate your...”

“I can’t,” Kara interrupted, unable to look at him. Her gaze settled on the flowers instead, and she allowed herself to think of Cat, the evening that awaited them. She wanted this night so badly she could taste it. “I have plans.”

“Lucy’s out of the woods,” James reminded her, assuming. “I talked to her this morning…”

“This isn’t about Lucy. I have plans,” she repeated.

James gave her a coaxing smile. “Can you get out of them?”

Kara finally met his gaze, knowing this was the moment that whatever had been between them came to an official end. “I don’t want to,” she said gently.

“Oh.” James stared at her a moment before his glanced down at his feet. “I messed up that badly, huh?”

“James…” Kara slipped her glasses off. “This… actually isn’t about you. I just… the time you needed to think… I did a lot of thinking, too. And I’ve realized I was blind to something that’s been right in front of me for a long time.”

“Is it Winn?”

Kara shook her head. “I’ll tell you soon, but right now I’m keeping this to myself.”

“I understand. He’s… he’s a lucky guy.” 

“She,” Kara corrected, watching him curiously now.

“Oh,” James said again, his eyes widening with surprise. “That…” He smiled sadly. “That strangely eases the sting a little.”

“I’m sorry.” Kara hated hurting him.

“Don’t be. I understand. I blew it.”

“It’s not about what you did or didn’t do,” Kara consoled. 

He didn’t look like he believed her, but Kara figured if James needed to tell himself that rather than believe she’d developed more intense feelings for someone else, Kara wasn’t going to deny him his meager comfort.

“Still friends, though. Right?” he asked hopefully, and Kara offered him a more genuine smile at the offer.

“Always,” she said and meant it.

Without another word, he walked away, shutting the door softly behind him.

****

“This is a surprise,” Cat murmured as she answered her phone, seeing Lucy Lane’s name come up on her caller ID. She thought briefly about toying with the other woman, but concern won out instead. “How are you feeling?”

“Aside from the rodeo going on in my head? I’ve been worse.”

Cat smiled thinly as Carter finished his breakfast and she polished off the last of her second cup of coffee, setting the mug in the sink. “I suppose I should welcome you to the club.”

“The ‘I almost got blown up by the Joker’ club? Pretty sure I didn’t sign up for that membership.”

“Thank Lois. I’m quite certain she paid your dues.”

Lucy grunted in agreement.

“I’m glad you’re all right,” Cat said honestly, opening the balcony door and stepping outside. She motioned to Carter that she would only be a moment and he nodded, unconcerned.

“Thanks. And thanks for signing the paperwork yesterday. I know it meant a lot to a mutual friend of ours.”

Cat swallowed, surprised as nerves fluttered in her stomach. “You know… about…?”

“I do.” Lucy’s voice softened. “You’ve made her really happy, Cat.”

Mortified to feel a blush rising, Cat took a deep breath, her thoughts easily shifting to Kara and the night that awaited them. “Yes. Well. I should say the feeling is mutual.”

Lucy was quiet a moment, and Cat could well imagine the dopey grin that would be on Baby Lane’s features. “I’m glad to hear that. For both of you. Speaking of… I have a little proposal for you.”

Cat hiked one eyebrow, intrigued. “A proposal?”

“I understand you and a super someone had plans for the evening. Plans the latest attack might have put a little bit of a damper on.”

Cat glanced back at her son, watching him through the windows as he finished off his orange juice and wiped his mouth on his sleeve much to her parental displeasure. “She told you about that?”

“Well… not everything,” Lucy murmured with amusement. “But I’m a grown woman who can read between the lines, Cat. You invited her over for dinner on a weekend when your son was supposed to be away. I’m guessing you had something… intimate… planned, unless you were going to sit around and play Yahtzee or something, in which case I’ll cop to having a dirty mind.”

Biting her lip to keep from laughing softly, Cat shook her head. “What’s your proposal, Director Lane?”

“With the Joker escalating things, we thought you might be reconsidering letting Carter go on his field trip.”

Cat shook her head, marveling at Kara’s intuitiveness, that she’d picked up on Cat’s nerves, read her damn mind, before she’d said a word. “I think that’s understandable.” She wasn’t sure why she was surprised. The girl had been anticipating her needs for more than two years now.

“Very,” Lucy agreed. “So I have an alternative suggestion.”

“I’m listening.”

“Carter can stay at the DEO for the weekend. James will be here. Vasquez will be here. We can give him a little more access. Let him play junior agent. We’ve got a lot of talented scientists and doctors. I’m sure we can teach him more than a trip to any science museum could.”

Cat leaned on the rail, the sun warming her profile as she considered the offer. “Our ‘mutual friend’ put you up to this?” she asked with a smile, pleased that Kara still wanted tonight as much as she did.

“She might have suggested it, but I approved. We can send a unit for Carter around 7:00 if you think he’d be open to the idea.”

“I think I’ll have to peel him off the ceiling when I tell him.”

Lucy chuckled, but Cat didn’t miss the soft hiss of pain that followed. “Is that a yes?”

“Yes. Thank you, Lucy.”

“You’re welcome. Just do me one favor?”

Cat listened patiently.

“She loves you,” Lucy said, surprising her, “and I think that might just make you the luckiest person on the planet.”

Swallowing, Cat couldn’t disagree, resisting the urge to interrogate the other woman, to learn everything Kara had ever told Lucy about what was happening between them.

“Just… love her back, will you? If there is anyone I’ve ever met that deserves happiness, it’s her. So if your heart isn’t fully in this...”

“It is,” Cat confessed with effort, but something about Lucy made her easy to talk to, and there was no one else. “I’ve… been in deep for a long time, but this last week…” Cat sighed. “Sooner or later she’s going to ruin me, but I can’t turn away from this… from her.”

“Cat.” Lucy’s voice was warm with understanding. 

“It’s fine. I go to my fate with my head held high,” Cat drawled. “If she’s to be my downfall… I fall willingly.”

“Maybe you should think of her as your salvation instead.”

Cat started to rebut that, any number of reasons coming to mind.

“Because I think you’re hers,” Lucy added.

Stilling, Cat absorbed the words, feeling them roll over her and leave her breathless.

“We’ll pick Carter up around 7:00,” Lucy repeated, and Cat knew the other woman was letting her off the hook, giving her a chance to keep some semblance of composure. “You two have fun. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

Recovering, Cat cleared her throat. “Something tells me, Baby Lane, that’s a very small list.”

****

The DEO team didn’t look at him twice.

Hank recognized some of their faces, but they paid no attention to the one he’d borrowed as he strode into the CatCo elevator and pushed the button for the 40th floor. As the doors closed, Hank grimaced as the reflection of James Olsen blinked back at him. He’d waited until he saw the young man leave, camera bag on his shoulder, before waiting thirty minutes to borrow the photojournalist’s identity. 

He wasn’t sure if he should be disappointed in his team for failing to spot him or relieved that his quest to speak with Kara would be met with little resistance. Considering the imposing threat of the Joker to the building’s inhabitants, Hank decided to forgive them for their focus being elsewhere.

Stepping out onto the 40th floor, Hank frowned as he approached Kara’s desk, confused to see it utterly bare and the young woman missing. He frowned, turning slowly to Winn in concern when a familiar voice made him stiffen.

“The explosion scramble your brain a little, James?”

Swallowing, Hank turned to find Cat Grant sauntering out of her private elevator, one earpiece of her sunglasses between her fingers as she twirled the designer shades back and forth.

“Ms. Grant,” Hank greeted. “I was just… um…”

“Looking for Kara?” she guessed, cocking her head and regarding him with sudden interest. 

The woman was frighteningly sharp, and Hank had a moment to wish she worked for him. “Yeah. I… Just forgot…” he said slowly, hoping she’d fill in the blanks, praying that he was managing to pull off a convincing James Olsen.

“That she has an office now?” Cat concluded, watching him dubiously.

Hank smiled. “Right. Still getting used to the change, I guess.”

Cat didn’t look convinced. She came closer, staring at him openly. “You sure you’re all right?”

“Tired,” Hank answered, figuring that was a logical excuse. “Didn’t get much sleep last night, considering.”

“You could have taken the day, James. Speaking as someone who would know, getting blown up can be fairly traumatic,” she drawled.

Hank smiled tightly. “I just prefer to work. Keep my mind off things.”

“Of course.” Cat didn’t look convinced, and some part of Hank wondered if she didn’t somehow sense him. “Well then, chop chop.”

“Certainly, Ms. Grant.” Hank watched her go before he turned to Winn who was watching him like he’d lost his mind.

“Mr. Schott,” Hank greeted.

Winn’s eyebrows lifted slightly. “Dude, is she right? Did you get your brains scrambled last night or what?”

“I’m not James Olsen,” Hank said in a low voice, glancing around before he let his eyes glow red.

Winn twitched in surprise before leaning closer. “Director Henshaw?” He started to reach out and touch Hank’s face but Hank swatted his hand away.

“Focus, Mr. Schott. I need to speak with Miss Danvers. Where is she?”

****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay with this one. Got a little behind and needed to catch up a bit. 
> 
> Look for the "super" reveal to come in the next chapter. :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay getting this chapter out. Thanks to everyone who has left kudos and comments. I really appreciate it!

“This is not happening.”

Kara groaned in frustration and leaned back in her chair, pressing the heels of her palms to her eyes. Try as she might, her brain refused to focus on work, her body too keyed up to let her. She’d tried to find time on Cat’s schedule so they could talk, but Cat’s calendar was booked solid, although Kara did notice that Cat was scheduled to leave early. Knowing that deviation from her routine was likely for their date tonight had caused Kara’s stomach to flutter wildly in anticipation.

She was tempted to just send Cat a text and get it over with. “By the way, I’m Supergirl,” she mumbled under her breath. “We still on for 7:00?” She rolled her eyes.

No matter how often she told herself there was no reason to be nervous about telling Cat, the nerves in question didn’t want to listen. There was still a tiny flicker of doubt at the base of her brain, whispering, undermining. Kara wanted to cut it out with her heat vision. Cat knew, she sternly told herself. Telling her was just a formality.

_But what if…_ her brain unhelpfully began again.

Kara groaned again, getting up from the desk. She was just about to start pacing when a knock at the door caught her attention. Her hopes soared that it was Cat, but instead Winn greeted her with an awkward wave.

“Hey,” she said, wincing at her lack of enthusiasm. No doubt he had questions about James she didn’t want to answer. “Let me guess. You talked to…” Kara forced a grin onto her face as James brushed past Winn and stepped inside. “James!” Kara finished with mock cheeriness, grimacing slightly.

Winn looked at her like she was crazy.

“Thank you, Mr. Schott. I’m sure you have work to do elsewhere.” James glared at him expectantly, and Winn finally nodded.

“Sure. I’ll just go… find some,” Winn said, walking away as James closed the door behind him.

“Why did you…” Kara trailed off as James turned, his eyes glowing red.

She was across the office in three long strides, pulling Hank into a hard hug before he’d even finished transforming. “Oh am I glad to see a friendly face.”

Hank hugged her back briefly before releasing her. “Friendly? I think that’s the first time someone has used that adjective.”

Kara grinned. “You okay?” A thought struck her and she grabbed his arm. “Wait. Alex? Is Alex okay?”

“She’s fine, Kara. Alex is why I’m here.” Hank reached into his pocket and handed her a phone.

“What’s this for?”

“So you can talk to your sister without anyone listening in.”

Kara drew in a long breath before releasing it slowly. After weeks adrift from Alex, the phone was a lifeline. “Thank you.”

Hank nodded. “Should have done it sooner. We’re better off being able to stay in contact.”

Her thumb stroked over the dark display, the thought of hearing Alex’s voice before the day was done easing her nerves like a balm.

“New office, huh?”

“Yeah.” Kara sighed. “Got promoted.” She gestured distractedly at the walls around them.

“So I noticed. Congratulations. Although I think I made Ms. Grant suspicious when she caught me loitering in confusion at your old desk.”

Kara grinned at the thought, tempted to tell him about Cat, but she held back, in no mood for another lecture today about the woman she loved. They didn’t know Cat the way she did.

“What?” Hank asked, picking up on her reticence.

“Nothing.”

“Kara…”

“Don’t space dad me,” Kara answered lightly. “I promise, it’s nothing bad. Just… something huge has happened in my life… something… amazing. I want to talk to Alex about it, but it’s the sort of thing I’d rather do in person.”

Hank eyed her suspiciously. “As much as I’d like to linger and catch up, the building is crawling with DEO agents. I’d better go. I’m sure you’ll be hearing from your sister in a few hours.”

“Can’t wait,” Kara promised, glancing again at the phone. “Thank you, Hank.” She looked up, blinking when she found James standing in front of her instead. Pursing her lips, she shook her head. “Never going to get used to that,” she muttered.

James smiled, but the twinkle in his eyes was all Hank. “We’ll be in touch soon.”

“You better be.” Kara stepped forward, hugging him hard one last time before watching him breeze back out of her life.

****

“You physically saw her?”

“I saw her.”

“And she’s okay?”

“For crying out loud, Alex. How many times are we going to go over this?” Hank grumbled as he nibbled on a french fry, but she could hear the humor in his voice.

Alex sighed and sat back in the little dive diner they found themselves in. The whole place smelled like fried meat, grease, and age, and Alex’s nose wrinkled slightly. “I’m sorry. This is just… not being there for her is driving me a little nuts.”

“No. I never would have guessed.”

Alex gave him a tight smile before taking a sip of her iced tea. Sunlight spilled across their table through the dirty windows, and Alex was tempted to put on her sunglasses every time Hank picked up his knife, the refraction nearly blinding her. “I appreciate you going in there. It’s going to be good to to be able to talk to her again.”

“Although there’s very little we can do for her in regards to the Joker.”

“I know.” Alex looked out the window at the dusty town on the edge of the desert. “But… I can’t explain it. I just needed to be closer. Like something is pulling me back to National City.”

“You have good instincts. I’ve taught you not to ignore them.” Hank leaned back in the booth, his gaze sweeping over the handful of other patrons. “You should know, your sister has been promoted.”

Alex’s head whipped back around in surprise. “Yeah?”

Hank nodded. “Has an office now and everything.”

A slow smile shaped Alex’s lips. “Can’t believe Cat actually let her go.”

“That is one intimidating woman,” Hank mumbled around another fry. “If I were still in charge of the DEO, I’d be tempted to recruit her.”

Alex grunted. “I can’t see Cat Grant slumming it in our underground bunker any time soon.” She was still smiling. “What’s Kara doing now?”

“We didn’t get into it, but she seemed happy. I suspect she’s dating someone as well.”

“Really?” Alex crossed her arms on the table, nudging aside her plate, giving that some thought. “James?”

Hank shook his head. “Considering I walked into her office wearing Mr. Olsen’s face and she looked more annoyed than pleased to see me, I doubt it.”

Her brows furrowed at the news. “You didn’t push for details?”

“Figure that’s your job.”

“I don’t know. I go away and suddenly Kara’s personal and professional life are great when they were a mess when I left. Maybe I should just butt out.”

Hank glared at her over the table. “She’s excited to be able to communicate with you, Alex. Don’t be a grump.”

Sighing again, Alex pushed a fry of her own around in the remains of her ketchup. The bell on the door handle jangling in the background as a small family departed. “It’s just hard. I never thought it would be.”

“What?”

“Watching her grow away from me. Her not needing me anymore. I thought it would feel good, you know, seeing her find her own way, but…”

“Alex,” Hank chided in a fatherly tone she’d come to know well the last few weeks. He reached across the table and covered one of her hands with his own. “Kara will always need you, just like you’ll always need her.”

Alex hoped he was right. “Thanks, Space Dad,” she said with a wry grin.

Hank squinted at her. “Kara called me the same thing. How long have you two been calling me that behind my back?”

Alex popped the fry into her mouth. “No comment,” she muttered around it.

****

Cat sat back at her desk, typing a response on her tablet for the small team arranging the penthouse for her evening with Kara. They were people she’d known for years and trusted not to be in the employ of the Joker, although they’d still encountered some overzealous DEO team members when they’d tried to enter Cat’s apartment with the security code she’d given them. At least she knew the agents were on top of things.

_Everything looks beautiful, Meghan, thank you._

Cat never thought she had a romantic bone in her body. She didn’t mind a little romance, but it was simply a stage of foreplay to be checked off the list. Not with Kara. Every moment in the younger woman’s presence made her think of love poems and sappy ballads. It was all rather sickening, and yet Cat couldn’t seem to get enough.

_Must be someone special to go to all this trouble. Have a lovely time this evening, Cat._

Smiling, Cat stared at the image the party planner had sent her. Her balcony had been transformed and it would look even more magical tonight. She could scarcely wait to have Kara all to herself with the stars above and the city they ruled, each in their own way, below.

Her stomach fluttered in anticipation. “Pull yourself together, Kitty,” she muttered.

Cat leaned back in her chair, swiveling minutely to and fro as she she considered her plans, completely distracted and uninterested in work. Carter had been disappointed about his field trip until learning of his alternate arrangement for the weekend. He was texting her nearly every hour now, wondering what he should bring. His last text had postulated that perhaps the DEO would let him go into the field on a mission.

_They better not,_ Cat had responded, but his enthusiasm had made her smile.

Restless, Cat stood and crossed to her bar, scooping a handful of M&Ms into a bowl rather than opting for the alcohol that would settle her nerves. On her way back to her desk, she passed the penguin Kara had purchased for her after their night at the sanctuary. She scooped it up as she sat down, spinning her chair around to face her monitors.

With no one able to see her, she brought the stuffed animal to her nose, breathing in Kara’s familiar perfume on his fur much like she had when she’d first discovered the gift waiting in her chair. “God, you’re hopeless,” she grumbled, but she was smiling so wide it hurt.

Cat tucked the animal next to her hip and spun back around, drawing her tablet closer once more. Her fingers traced the edge for a moment before she typed a simple message to Kara and sent it off.

_Where are you?_

Kara replied a few moments later. _At the Tribune. I have a meeting with the managing editor._

Cat’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. She hadn’t expected Kara to show any interest in their news division, but she was secretly pleased. _Just because all the departments are willing to hire you doesn’t mean you have to meet with them all._

_I’m curious._ Kara used a smiley face emoticon that had Cat rolling her eyes. Millennials.

_Well,_ Cat typed, tempted to mention their date, to see what Kara would say, but she reluctantly behaved herself. They would talk when Kara returned, get the one piece of unfinished business between them out of their way before tonight. _Since I still have no new assistant, bring me a latte._ Cat smiled, pleased at the good excuse to talk to the other woman.

_Hot, I presume?_

“Yes you are,” Cat murmured, her fingers tapping dangerously on the surface of her tablet, dozens of inappropriate thoughts begging to be sent. _You presume correctly._

Kara started to respond several times, and Cat watched the dots on her screen come and go with a growing smile. Perhaps she wasn’t the only one tempted to share more in a text message than she should.

_You sure you should have coffee this late in the day, Ms. Grant? You wouldn’t want to be up all night, would you?_

Cat blinked. On the surface, the words seemed innocent, but Cat could clearly read the intended innuendo. Her body warmed, a little thrill racing through her veins by this rather surprising, but welcome, side of Kara. “You little imp.”

_I insist._

Cat waited expectantly.

_In that case…_

Kara made her wait for the rest, and Cat smirked, giving the younger woman credit for keying her up so effectively.

_I’ll do whatever you want._

Cat swallowed hard at the thought. There were a lot of things she wanted very much. If this was actually a conversation about coffee, she was going to be sorely disappointed.

_Have to go. The editor is ready to see me._

Frowning that their little game was over almost as soon as it had begun, Cat sighed, but she decided she needed to give a little of what she got.

_Do what I want, and just maybe I’ll return the favor._

Those little dots came and went half a dozen times, and Cat could imagine Kara furiously trying to think of a response as she was lead to the managing editor’s office. That was going to be a very distracted meeting.

****

Kara read over their conversation again as she walked towards Noonan’s. Temperature wasn’t something that normally bothered her be it hot or cold, but the air definitely felt warmer after reading their texts. Distracted, Kara took a corner a little too soon and a little too close, clipping the side of a building and disintegrating the edge of a handful of bricks with her shoulder. She stopped, analyzing the mess she’d made of herself and the structure and decided neither was all that dire. She did, however, unbutton the top two buttons on her shirt, needing air, before she absentmindedly dusted herself off.

She couldn’t believe she’d openly flirted with Cat like that as Kara Danvers. Knowing their date was just a few hours away was apparently making her reckless. But it was kind of fun, and Kara was sorely tempted to do it again.

An odd ringtone sounded, jarring her from her heated thoughts, and Kara glanced down at herself, confused by its close proximity. Remembering the burner phone Hank had given her, Kara slipped it out of her purse with a little more than human speed. “Alex?” she greeted eagerly.

“Hey.”

“Hey,” Kara said with a spreading smile. She stepped away from the busy sidewalk, turning into a small park near one of the high rise apartments. “You okay?”

“Missing my little sister,” Alex admitted. “Who apparently is moving up in the world. I hear congratulations are in order.”

Kara beamed. “Well, kind of. I haven’t really picked what I want to do yet. Although with the way my interview with the managing editor of the Tribune just went, I think I can take being a reporter off my list.”

“Wait. You’re telling me that the woman who called you the wrong name for two years is letting you pick your direction in the company? Kara, that’s huge.”

“You’ll be happy to know she’s been calling me Kara for a few days now.”

“I wish I could be there to take you out. You deserve a celebration.”

Kara wished it, too. “Lucy promised to next week.”

Alex was quiet a moment. “Is she… I mean...” She cleared her throat. “So… Lucy is okay?”

Kara was surprised Alex had asked, all things considered, but it meant a lot that she did. “She’s hurt,” Kara said, her smile fading, “but she’s tough. I walked in this morning and she was signing off on expense reports from her recovery bed. Reminded me of something you’d do.”

Alex snorted softly.

“You would have been impressed,” Kara told her, wanting Alex and Lucy to mend fences and be friends at some point. “She reacted fast enough to basically outrun a bomb.”

“I’m glad she’s going to be okay. I guess.”

“Alex!” Kara scolded with a light laugh.

Her sister chuckled faintly, and Kara closed her eyes at the sound, missing her.

“Hank told you we were sticking close? That we’re nearby if you need us?”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t like the Joker messing with my sister.”

“Your sister is pretty over it herself,” Kara admitted. “There’s no method to what he does. Just madness.”

“Still no idea what his endgame is?”

“None.” Kara huffed out a breath in frustration. “But he came after Cat, Lucy, James…”

“You,” Alex reminded her. “Everyone in National City with ties to your cousin. What’s Clark think?”

“That the Joker is messing with us for fun with the bonus of needling Superman while he’s at it.”

“He could be right, Kara.”

“I know, but it just makes this all so random.” Kara sighed. Sooner or later the Joker would strike again. Kara just hoped they’d be ready, and that it wouldn’t be tonight. 

“So…” Alex began, and Kara’s instincts prickled. “Hank thinks you’ve found someone.”

“Oh Hank does, does he?” Kara volleyed, stalling for time.

“Kara…” Alex wasn’t fooled. No matter how many times Kara tried to outwit her sister, Alex had some sort of sixth sense where she was concerned.

“Fine. Maybe.”

“It’s not Winn…”

“I’ll give you that, but that’s all you’re getting right now.”

“Oh, c’mon!” Alex chided, and Kara could almost imagine her sister right there on the bench next to her. Alex would have shoved her knee, wrapped her up in her arms, pushing, prodding, and coaxing until she got the answers she wanted. Kara would have given anything for that to be her reality.

“It’s…” Kara took a breath. “It’s serious for me, Alex. I just want… I just want to figure out where it’s going before I share who I’m with.”

“Serious, huh? How serious?”

“I’m… we have a date tonight.”

“That’s not very serious, Kara,” Alex joked, making her smile.

“I’m expecting to stay the night,” Kara added quietly.

“Oh.” Alex was surprised. “That kind of serious.”

“I want to tell you. You have no idea how much. I’ve wanted to talk to you as this thing was happening, but I’m at this point now, and things are changing, and I…”

“It’s okay,” Alex murmured gently. “It’s okay. I get it. I wish I could have been there, too, because they must be pretty amazing to make you feel this way.”

“You’re… going to have some concerns,” Kara admitted. “But I promise you, you don’t need to.”

“I’m always going to have concerns with anyone who wants to be with my little sister. It’s part of my job.”

Kara smiled, but it was bittersweet. “I really miss you, Alex.”

“I really miss you, too. Hopefully being able to talk like this will make it a little easier.”

“I’ll take it.”

Alex sighed. “I should probably go. Can I… can I call you tomorrow? See how your date went?”

“I’d like that,” Kara said and meant it.

“I love you, Kara.”

“I love you, too.”

Kara ached when the call disconnected. A breeze rustled the leaves overhead, sunlight dappling over the empty spot on the bench where her sister should be.

****

_I’m beginning to wonder if you’ve absconded with my latte._

Kara smiled at the text message. Patience wasn’t one of Cat’s virtues, but Kara suspected it wasn’t a coffee craving that had Cat anxious. The window was rapidly closing for Kara to come clean about Supergirl before their date. As the floors ticked by in the elevator, her nerves grew once more, and she blew out a shaky breath.

Cat knew, she reminded herself for the thousandth time. The only thing left to do was say the words, and Kara wanted desperately to speak them, but that tiny voice of doubt lingering in the back of her mind was suddenly boisterous as hell as the doors parted and she stepped out of the elevator onto the 40th floor of CatCo.

“She knows, she knows, she knows,” Kara muttered under her breath like a mantra, refusing to give into her fears. In the next few moments, she was going to tell Cat the truth, come what may.

Or maybe not.

Cat’s office was packed full of people, and Kara drew up short, just past the glass, watching. She’d been in enough impromptu editorial meetings to know one when she saw one, but it felt weird not to be included, that being there wasn’t part of her role anymore. She eased inside anyway, Cat’s steaming latte nestled in her palm along with a small white bag that contained a few of Cat’s favorite scones as a treat.

Cat was on a tear. Someone or something had set her off, and Kara lingered at the back of the room, watching the queen rule her kingdom. She was wearing a black pantsuit, tailored to perfection for her slim, firm body, and Kara’s mouth went dry. If she’d known that Cat looked like that during their earlier digital conversation, she might have spontaneously combusted.

“All I’m hearing are excuses,” Cat spat at her team. “I don’t pay you to speculate, I pay you to report. Now someone give me something I can use about the Joker’s attacks last night.”

Several people began talking at once and Cat rolled her eyes, but then she saw Kara and her whole face softened. Feeling like she was floating, Kara threaded through the mass of people, none of whom seemed to pay her any attention until she was before Cat’s desk.

“No one has suggested interviewing James, yet, have they?” Kara murmured, setting the latte and scones on Cat’s desk with a smile.

The room went oddly quiet, or maybe Kara just simply tuned them all out with Cat to focus on.

“Not. One.” Cat smiled shrewdly at her, glancing at the bag curiously.

“Cranberry scones. Your latte. Hot.”

The corner of Cat’s mouth twitched.

Kara blinked when she noticed the penguin sitting in Cat’s chair, insanely charmed at the sight. She cleared her throat. “Um… when you’re done here, I’d like to speak with you for a few minutes if you have the time.”

Cat stared at her, her lips parting slightly in a silent “oh” as she realized what Kara wanted to talk about. Everyone was watching them now, confused by the strange but not unpleasant tension thrumming between them.

Nodding once, Cat scooped up her latte and took a sip, eyeing Kara over the rim.

Stomach fluttering with nerves and something more eager and sinful, Kara gave Cat a soft smile and left, praying she could hold onto her courage for just a little bit longer.

****

After her staff finally left, tails tucked between their legs, Cat waited for as long as she could stand before seeking out Kara. Their behavior in front of the team was likely to get tongues wagging, but she really didn’t care. People were going to talk about her regardless. Might as well give them something to talk about.

Kara’s door was open, and Cat stepped inside, surprised to find the younger woman pacing. Apparently Kara had gotten herself a little worked up waiting. “You wanted to talk?” Cat rested her hands on her hips.

“I…” Kara swallowed, pausing briefly. “Yeah. I thought we… I mean before...” She winced, whatever she’d been rehearsing in her head abandoning her in the moment.

Cat arched an eyebrow neatly before it lowered and scrunched with the other in confusion. This moment was nothing more than a formality now. Cat couldn’t understand why Kara was nervous. She just needed to spit out the words so they could move on. “Problem?” she asked lightly.

Much to Cat’s bemusement, Kara started pacing again as Cat shut the door behind her to give them a little privacy. 

“I’m scared,” Kara admitted plainly, and the smile on Cat’s lips slowly fell away. 

“Of?” Cat was amazed her voice remained even.

“I should be able to just say it. You already know. Telling you shouldn’t change anything.”

Cat watched her, picking up on Kara’s anxiety and beginning to feel some of her own. “It won’t,” she promised.

“But there’s this little voice in the back of my head whispering what if I’m wrong? What if… what if you don’t actually know, and I tell you the truth… and…”

“Kara…” Cat stepped closer, grabbing Kara’s arm to stop her restless moving. “You’re not wrong.”

“But what if I am? That when I say what I need to say, what I want to say, that everything will change? And that terrifies me because…” Kara bit her lip and Cat stared, startled by the emotion glittering in Kara’s blue eyes. “I don’t think I could bear it if the truth… if the truth was a disappointment to you. If I were a disappointment.” 

Cat swallowed, her chest aching at the uncertainty in Kara’s eyes. She understood Kara’s fear, knowing that she was taking her own leap of faith without the truth spoken between them, but Cat knew in her guts that Kara Danvers was Supergirl. If she was wrong, the hell with it.

With a reckless disregard for her career and kingdom, Cat didn’t hesitate, leaning in and capturing Kara’s mouth with a hunger that startled them both. Kara stumbled back a step, her back hitting the wall with a thud as Cat slid against her, deepening the kiss as Kara slowly but enthusiastically responded.

Cat knew the flavor of her, the thrill of that mouth on her own, the way her body burned for her. She finally pulled away with effort, savoring Kara’s soft whimper at the loss. Standing up on tiptoe, Cat made sure to press her curves into Kara’s body as she whispered in her ear. “You don’t have to say anything. Just come tonight as Kara Danvers and that will be enough.”

Kara swallowed, those blue eyes dipping to Cat’s lips again as Cat slowly eased back. “Cat…” she whispered, her voice heavy with desire that Cat nearly found too potent to resist.

“See you tonight… Supergirl.” Cat winked as she opened the door and left, feeling smug, and very much looking forward to 7:00.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The date begins...

Carter clomped around the apartment, gathering his things in the final minutes before the unit from the DEO was scheduled to arrive. Cat glanced at the clock, nerves stirring unexpectedly in her chest when she saw it was just past 7:00.

Her son finally appeared in the kitchen, drawn by the smell. “Are you cooking?” He blinked owlishly at her.

“I have a date,” Cat explained as she sorted through a few wines and made a selection.

Carter continued to stare, taking in the sight of his mother wearing a thousand-dollar dress with an apron over it that said, “World’s Best Mom.” He’d given it to her for Christmas when he was six. It still looked brand new. “You’re cooking for them?”

“Mhm.”

“You never cook for anyone.”

“I cook for you,” Cat argued lightly.

“That’s different. You love me.” Carter’s gaze widened in understanding. “Oh.”

Cat drew in a quick breath. Her son was damn perceptive, too clever for his own good sometimes and definitely for hers at the moment. She wasn’t ready to have this conversation.

“Carter…”

“Who is he?”

Cat bit her lip. She never lied to him, and she wasn’t about to start now. It wasn’t as if she’d never dated a woman before, but Kara was… different. “She, actually.”

Slowly, Carter’s features eased into a smile. “It’s Kara, isn’t it?”

_Oh hell_. “Carter…”

“It is! It’s Kara!”

Cat wondered what she’d said, what clues she’d dropped to make him latch onto the truth with such disgusting ease. Apparently her skills as a reporter were genetic. “Would you be okay with that?” she asked carefully. “If I dated Kara?”

“That would be awesome!”

He ran around the kitchen island and hugged her, hard. Cat went still before she ran a hand through his loose curls, startled by his wholehearted embracement of the idea. It had taken her months to get here.

“We’re not dating yet, honey. Not… exactly. But…”

“She’s so pretty, mom. And she’s cool, and fun…”

“Yes, she’s all of those things. But there are a few… complications she and I need to work out first.” She glanced at the clock again, swallowing when she saw it was ten after seven. Kara was always punctual when possible. Nerves stirred in Cat’s stomach, wondering if she’d done the right thing by kissing Kara earlier. Had the younger woman chickened out? Was there an emergency that required Supergirl’s talents? Had she been wrong about everything?

Carter’s phone buzzed and he looked at it distractedly. “Agent Vasquez is here.”

“Okay, sweetheart. Get your things. You have fun this weekend, okay?”

“It’ll be fine, Mom. Kara likes you as much as you like her.” Carter let her go, crossing the room to pick up his backpack and slip it on.

Cat hoped her son’s perceptiveness was on the money on that particular prediction as well. “We’ll see,” she said following along behind him to the edge of the kitchen before turning him to kiss him on the forehead. “Love you. If you have any problems…”

“I’ll call,” he promised, and Cat was thrilled to see her son actually excited about his weekend. “Love you, too.” He hugged her one last time and she let him go.

The front door opened as Carter left and Cat sighed. She glanced at the clock again, her heart sinking. Cat stripped the apron off as the elevator dinged, and she had a moment where she considered calling Carter back, not wanting to be alone with the doubts suddenly whispering in the back of her mind.

“Kara!”

Cat froze.

“Hey, Carter.” Kara’s voice, warm and full of affection, slid down Cat’s ears, leaving her nearly breathless.

She came.

_Kara_ came.

The truth left Cat unexpectedly reeling as all her suspicions were confirmed, all her hopes realized.

“Mom is making you dinner. She only cooks for people she really likes.”

“Is that right?” Kara laughed lightly.

“It’s so cool you guys are dating. I’ve got to go. My ride is waiting.”

“Wait, what?” Kara called after him, and Cat bit her lip to keep from laughing.

“You look really pretty,” Carter told her as the elevator doors closed.

Cat took a deep breath and rounded the corner, leaning against the wall as she took in the vision that greeted her. Kara was still facing the elevator, but Cat admired the way the dark, sleeveless blue dress hugged all of the younger woman’s curves. Her hair was down, falling in golden waves she couldn’t wait to run her hands through if given the chance. As Cat watched, Kara reached up and adjusted her glasses before turning, going still when she saw Cat standing there.

“You do,” Cat said softly.

Kara stared at her, and Cat’s ego preened at the appreciation in the younger woman’s eyes. She’d spent a mint on her dress to see that very look, like Kara wanted to devour her whole. 

“I do?”

“Look really pretty.”

“Oh.” Kara ran one nervous hand down her torso before she set her bag down against the wall. “I… thank you. You look… you look _amazing_.” She closed the door as Cat came closer, her gaze traveling over every inch of Cat’s frame before meeting her gaze again.

Cat licked her lips, not sure where to begin or if she should just drag the girl down the hall and into bed before one of them lost their nerve.

“You… um… told Carter we were dating?”

“I told Carter I had a date. He was hoping it was with you.”

“Really?” Kara smiled, charmed.

“I told you. He has good taste.”

They stared at each other for a moment.

“I was starting to think I’d been stood up,” Cat said gently.

“Sorry. I had a…”

“Super emergency?” Cat teased.

Kara grinned. “Something like that.” Swallowing, Kara’s gaze dropped to the floor between them as her smile faded away. She took a deep breath. “You deserve to hear me say this.” Slowly, she reached up and, after the slightest hesitation, slipped her glasses off before meeting Cat’s gaze again.

Cat’s breath caught as she stared at the beautiful creature before her. Not Kara Danvers. Not Supergirl. Someone in between. Someone _more_. Someone she’d been dying to get to know for too long now.

“Cat,” Kara said with the barest trace of a nervous smile. “I’m Supergirl.”

Pulse jumping at the words, Cat was startled by how good it felt to hear them. She’d thought this was just a formality, but the moment took on surprising significance, and Cat had to swallow past an unexpected lump in her throat. Kara was trusting her with… everything.

“Do you know how I knew?” Cat asked, trying to take down the intensity of the moment a notch. “I don’t mean the first time.” She waved her hand dismissively. “The first time was all about being a good journalist, seeing the puzzle pieces and how they all fit. I’m talking about after your little stunt with your friendly neighborhood… whatever that double was.”

Kara shook her head. “I should have known that wouldn’t fool you.” She sounded proud that Cat had figured her out.

“Oh, it fooled me,” Cat admitted. “For a while I was… very confused. I’m rarely wrong, and it was disheartening to think I had been about you. But then I realized… there was no way you weren’t Supergirl. No matter what my eyes were telling me, I knew the truth.”

“What gave me away?” Kara breathed as Cat drifted closer still.

Reaching up to toy with the beautiful pendant hanging delicately from Kara’s neck, Cat dropped her gaze, staring at the glasses still cradled in Kara’s hand. “It wasn’t you. It was me.” Cat bit her lip as Kara cocked her head slightly, curious. “I realized If you and Supergirl weren’t the same person then I was going to need a lot more therapy.”

“Therapy?” Kara’s brow furrowed in confusion.

Cat drew in a deep breath of her own. Kara had been brave tonight, probably more than Cat realized, and she deserved the same in return. “Because I would have been falling in love with two different women at the same time who made me feel exactly the same way. This is quite the relief actually.”

“F…falling…” Kara stuttered in a whisper.

Words were everything to Cat. Her career was built off them, her empire ran on them, but there were none to adequately describe what Kara meant to her. None did the emotion, the beautiful ache she felt for the woman, justice. She slipped the glasses from Kara’s fingers, distantly surprised they had weight to them, before setting them on the entryway table. Kara didn’t need to hide from anything tonight.

“Confessing that isn’t going to make you fly off in a panic is it?” Cat asked dryly, but her stomach twisted nervously.

Kara rapidly shook her head, rendered speechless.

“Good,” Cat whispered, wrapping one hand behind Kara’s neck and urging her closer, kissing her former assistant like she’d wanted to a thousand times before.

****

Kara didn’t know how long they lingered in the moment, she only knew she never wanted it to end. She was drunk off the other woman. The way Cat kissed her weakened her knees as potently as any kryptonite. Kara’s hands slid down champagne colored silk to grip Cat’s hips, to draw her in closer, tempted to simply lift Cat into her arms and find the nearest bed. The need to touch Cat, to explore her curves, to hear what sounds she would make as she made love to her, was building to an almost unbearable level. Kara had never wanted anyone like this before, and it was more than a little overwhelming.

The very human need to breathe had Cat reluctantly pulling away, gasping softly as she rested her forehead against Kara’s. 

“That’s new,” Cat whispered, as the most powerful kiss Kara had ever experienced came to a slow, sensual end.

“Huh?” Kara asked stupidly.

Cat looked down and Kara did the same, blinking in surprise when she realized they were both floating nearly six inches off the floor.

“Oh.” Kara huffed out a breath and smiled bashfully. “Sorry.” She eased them back to the carpet, but she was in no hurry to turn Cat loose. 

“I’m not.” Cat stared at her for a long moment, and Kara was awed by the desire she could see in Cat’s eyes. Not desire for Supergirl, but for Kara Danvers. “That has… possibilities.” Cat smiled devilishly before slipping out of Kara’s grasp and heading toward the kitchen.

Kara stood there in the hall, the scent of Cat’s perfume clinging to her, the taste of her still on her tongue. “Possibilities,” she whispered before shivering slightly in anticipation.

Cat was going to kill her before the night was over, and Kara couldn’t wait.

Convincing her legs to work, Kara followed Cat into the kitchen. She leaned in the doorway, deliberately keeping her distance, not sure she could resist touching the other woman if she came any closer. Kara watched as Cat checked something in the oven, her dress riding hider as she leaned over, showing off a greater expanse of her toned legs and Kara wrenched her eyes off Cat to focus on the ceiling. “You didn’t have to go to all this trouble for me.”

Cat shrugged as she fetched two plates from the cupboard. “You heard Carter. I only cook for people I _really_ like.” She did a fair impression of her son and Kara chuckled.

“Do you like to? Cook, I mean?”

Cat leaned against the counter. “Sometimes. I’m usually too busy, but once in awhile it’s nice to make something with my hands.” She eyed Kara with some amusement. “You don’t have to linger in the hallway. I won’t bite. Unless you ask me to,” Cat teased.

Just the thought was enough to make Kara warm all over. “Uh… I think I do. If I get any closer to you right now you’ll have gone to all this effort for nothing.” She was surprised by her own boldness, but the way Cat kept looking at her made it come effortlessly.

“Is that right?” Cat’s voice deepened slightly, a husky edge to it that did delicious things to Kara’s body.

Kara nodded slowly. “And Cat Grant cooked for me. I wouldn’t want to waste that likely once in a lifetime experience.”

Cat narrowed her eyes at the playful jibe. “Careful.”

That brought another grin to Kara’s lips. “You really do look… wow.”

Kara watched, delighted, as Cat actually blushed faintly. 

“You aren’t the only one who may have trouble keeping her hands to herself tonight.” Cat’s gaze roamed over Kara’s body, and Kara had to take another deep breath, feeling like she needed all of Supergirl’s strength to resist the other woman. She needed to change the subject or dinner wasn’t going to happen.

“Um… I feel like I should tell you I’m sorry.”

Drawing cautiously closer, Cat set one hand on the kitchen island and another on her hip. “For?”

“For… the whole… Supergirl thing.”

“Ah.” Cat frowned for a moment. “I was put out at first, but I slowly came around to understanding your point of view.” She stared at Kara for a moment. “It must be… difficult to walk the tightrope you do.”

“Some days are more perilous than others.” Kara sighed. “But… there is a risk, Cat. Being with me can be… dangerous.”

“Like I’m the safest person to be around,” Cat answered easily. “First Leslie. Now the Joker. You aren’t the only one with enemies, Kara.”

Kara straightened slightly, not having seen in that way. “The secrets I keep, though, are to protect the people I care about. You understand that, right?”

“Of course.” Cat traced the grain on the butcher block countertop, thinking for a moment. “I guess what I still struggle with is why you do this. Why you bother to have two identities when you could be Supergirl all the time.”

“I don’t want to be Supergirl all the time. Supergirl is what I can do. Kara is who I am. I want to have a life. I need to have a life. I could be out there saving people all the time, but then I’d…”

“Lose yourself,” Cat realized softly.

Kara sighed again. “You’re right. It’s a tightrope, and some days I walk it easier than others. Other days I feel like I’m being torn in two.”

“But it would be easier to just be the hero, wouldn’t it?”

“Would it?” Kara asked honestly. “I’ve asked myself the same question a thousand times. But this… this balance I try to keep between saving myself and saving the world… it’s not perfect, but it’s the best I can do right now.”

Cat nodded in understanding. “I wouldn’t actually want you to give up being Kara Danvers, just so we’re clear.”

“You wouldn’t?”

Cat shook her head. “I happen to like Kara Danvers very much. Losing her from my life would be… hard.”

Kara finally pushed off the doorway and drifted closer. “I know Supergirl is the sexier option for you… I just…”

“Is that what you think?” Cat interrupted. “You said this afternoon that you thought I’d be disappointed you were Supergirl. I didn’t address that then but I’m going to now.”

“Cat…”

“No. I think you need to hear this. I developed feelings for you long before you started zipping across the sky, Kara. I’d want to be here with you right now ever if you weren’t Supergirl.”

For a long moment, Kara couldn’t even breathe. As much as Cat had needed confirmation that she was the superhero, Kara realized she’d needed Cat to say those very words. “Really?” she whispered.

Cat moved closer, lightly touching Kara’s wrist before her fingers curled around it. Kara’s heart, which had finally slowed to something resembling normal, took flight again, thundering behind her ribs. “I was… enamored with you long before I met your alter ego.”

“But you… you date actors, and scientists, and powerful people. I’m… I’m nobody.”

“Despite what the tabloids would have you believe, I don’t date much at all, actually. The last year or so, everyone has paled in comparison to you.” Cat hesitated, and Kara recognized the rare confession for what it was. “When you showed up as Supergirl, and I began to realize you were one in the same, well…” Cat let her touch drift up to Kara’s elbow. “Who could compete?”

“But I’m not… her,” Kara explained. “I mean, I am, but I’m more… me.” She winced, wishing she had Cat’s way with words.

“Kara Danvers,” Cat said, savoring the name. “The only person in my life who challenges me, surprises me, pushes me to see the world differently… to believe in people again on a daily basis. And that was before you put on your cape.”

Kara’s eyelashes fluttered with the praise. “I just… I hide in plain sight, you know? I never thought anyone would still see... me.”

“I see you.” Cat kissed her softly, almost chastely. “I always have even when I wished I didn’t. Realizing you were Supergirl just helped me make more sense of a few things.” Cat’s gaze lingered on her for a long moment, warming Kara unexpectedly. “And you see me, too,” Cat said quietly.

Kara smiled, appreciating what Cat meant. They both had to pretend to be something they weren’t to survive. “I do,” she promised, threading her fingers through Cat’s loose curls and drawing her in for another slow, determined kiss.

“Mmm,” Cat murmured when they parted. “Why don’t you open up the bottle of wine and pour us a glass. We’ll eat on the balcony.”

Biting her lip, Kara nodded. “Oh. That reminds me.” She fetched her bag from the hallway, slipping out a bottle of wine and handing it to Cat. “That’s why I was late.”

Cat’s thumb eased over the label. “This is my favorite,” she said in surprise.

“I know.”

“You can only purchase it from a small vineyard in Italy.”

“Know that, too.” Kara grinned sheepishly.

Settling a hand on her hip, Cat gave the younger woman a look. “You flew to Italy and back to get me a bottle of my favorite wine?”

Kara shrugged, her eyes dancing with mischief.

Cat huffed lightly. “I’m not sure if I should feel charmed or like I’ve taken advantage.”

“Let’s go with charmed. You can…” Kara swallowed when Cat’s hazel eyes locked on hers once more. Her stomach trembled at the heated look. “You can take advantage later,” she murmured, dizzy at the fact she’d managed to be so forward without stuttering… much.

“Oh,” Cat’s gaze wandered over Kara again, leaving her nearly breathless. “I intend to.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't hate me for ending it there. Okay, you can hate me a little. :)


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. Hope this chapter is worth the wait.

Kara’s breath hitched in surprise and Cat mentally patted herself on the back as the younger woman stepped outside, turning slowly in place as she took in the transformed balcony. Strings of white lights twinkled overhead, leading to a small, intimate table adorned with a white linen tablecloth and candles that flickered gently in the breeze. Soft strands of jazz pleasantly filled the silence between them, but Cat suspected it was the abundance of flowers that resonated with Kara most. Struck by a streak of romantic sentimentality she hadn’t realized she possessed, Cat had requested the same blooms she’d given to Kara earlier in the week.

“Cat…” Kara whispered, a shy, beautiful smile gradually shaping her lips.

There was little Cat wouldn’t do to see that smile, the way Kara’s blue eyes lit up in pleasure. Cat swallowed, knowing she would have laid the world at Kara’s feet if Kara asked her for it.

Cat inhaled slowly, realizing, truly, just how deeply her feelings ran for this younger woman. The temptation to back away, to literally turn and run from something this powerful, swamped her, but then Kara looked at her again and Cat was captivated.

She was so utterly screwed.

“You didn’t have to do all this.” Kara drifted closer after breathing in one of the many blooms that surrounded them.

Cat managed a smile, her chest so tight with emotion she could barely breathe. “I wrote a check,” she deflected. “It’s not like I cultivated all the flowers myself or teetered on a ladder to hang the lights.”

“It’s beautiful. No one has ever…” Kara dipped her head, bashful, but then she glanced up at Cat once more, her heart in her eyes, and Cat couldn’t look away. She’d kill and die to have Kara look at her like that every day for the rest of her life.

“You’re worth it.” The words slipped from Cat’s lips, unbidden.

“But you must have spent a fortune…”

“You’re worth it,” Cat said again, stepping closer, meaning it on every level imaginable. It was terrifying how much she felt for this woman, how she threatened all of Cat’s control, but Cat couldn’t turn away from this, from them and what they were becoming. Not now. “And it was worth every penny to see you in candlelight.”

Now the younger woman blushed, and Cat grinned, pleased with the effect she had on her. 

“You could have just lit a candle,” Kara joked. Reaching to adjust glasses that weren’t there, Kara brushed a lock of hair behind her ear instead. “It feels strange. Nice, but strange.”

“What?”

“You looking at me like that.” Kara hesitantly made eye contact again.

“When you’re not Supergirl, you mean?” 

Kara nodded.

“Get used to it. Although I have to admit, getting flirty texts from Kara Danvers today was quite a thrill.”

Kara bit her lip. “I still can’t believe I did that.”

“Feel free to do it again sometime.”

“I’m not the only one who looks beautiful in candlelight.” Kara watched her, her features softening. “I wish I could paint you,” she said unexpectedly.

“Kinky,” Cat drawled.

Kara laughed, the sound music to Cat’s ears. “I mean… paint a picture. You look… you look incredible right now.”

With the way Kara was staring at her, Cat felt like it. “I should… get dinner.” It was hard to turn away from those eyes, though, that smile.

“In a minute.” Kara took Cat’s hand, tugging her closer. 

“We don’t want to burn it,” Cat murmured as a powerful arm wrapped around her waist and pulled Cat in, but she yielded with little resistance.

“I’ll risk it,” Kara whispered, kissing Cat nearly breathless in appreciation.

****

Amused, Kara watched Cat through the candlelight. Dinner had been fantastic, dessert even better, and now they were simply enjoying the wine and each other’s company. Cat hadn’t once asked her about Supergirl during the whole meal, and while Kara appreciated that Cat was making this night about them, Kara knew it had to be driving Cat crazy.

“You can ask me,” Kara murmured over the lip of her wine glass before taking a sip. 

Cat leaned back and crossed those long legs Kara appreciated so much, smirking slightly when she caught Kara staring. “Ask you what?”

Canting her head, Kara gave Cat a knowing look.

“This is the first night we’ve spent together as Cat and Kara. My questions can wait.”

Warmed by the words as much as the thought behind them, Kara smiled. “Part of me telling you who I am was about not keeping secrets anymore. It’s okay to ask me.”

“All right.” Cat eased forward slightly. “I do have one question.”

“Just one?” Kara asked skeptically.

Cat waved off the hint of sarcasm. “The plane. Why that disaster and not so many others? Why come forward then?”

Of all the questions Kara thought Cat might ask, that hadn’t been on the list, and yet, now that it was out there, it made perfect sense that’s what Cat would want to know first. Kara was quiet for a moment, mentally weighing how best to answer, where to even begin. “It… it was hard, not revealing myself sooner.”

“You wanted to?” Cat asked, no judgment in her tone.

“Of course. I wanted to help people,” Kara admitted, remembering so many times when she’d had to fight every instinct and turn her back on those who’d needed her. “And constantly suppressing that urge was… painful.”

“Why suppress it at all? Superman was already on the scene. You clearly wouldn’t be feared…”

“I’m always going to be feared by some,” Kara murmured truthfully, “but that wasn’t why.” She sighed. “The world already had Superman to save it, and my foster family convinced me it would be best if I just tried to be… normal.”

Cat shifted, her jaw tightening with disapproval. “You’re not normal, Kara. You’re exceptional. Why would they…”

“They were right,” Kara said quickly, unwilling to have Cat think poorly of the Danvers for even a moment. “At least for a while. I didn’t know it at the time, but they were trying to protect me.”

“From what?” Cat scoffed. “You’re nearly invulnerable.”

Kara fiddled with the stem of her wine glass. “You can’t report this.”

Cat glared, and Kara held up her hands.

“I know you wouldn’t say anything about me, but what I’m about to tell you is classified. It’s… it’s a big secret, Cat, and if it got out if would frighten a lot of people.”

“You had me sign a nondisclosure agreement. I suppose I couldn’t report it even if I wanted to.”

Kara drew in a deep breath. “When my parents sent me to Earth, I left moments before Krypton exploded. My pod was knocked off course by the shockwave and I wound up in a place called the Phantom Zone.”

Cat said nothing, absorbing what Kara didn’t describe as much as what she did.

“It’s… it’s a place where time doesn’t really exist. Your consciousness is free, but your physical body is… stuck.”

Sharp hazel eyes studied her, putting the pieces together. “How long?” Cat asked quietly.

Glancing away, Kara focused on the candles that flickered in the evening breeze between them. “24 years.”

Cat inhaled sharply, drawing Kara’s gaze back to her again. “That’s what you meant at the DEO, about how the world was supposed to know Supergirl before Superman.”

Kara nodded, hating the familiar pang of failure in her chest. “If I’d gotten here when I was supposed to, we’d… we’d be…”

“Nearly the same age,” Cat realized softly. She swallowed and looked away.

They would have known each other, Kara was sure of it. She’d be robbed of meeting a young, driven and ambitious Cat Grant, clawing her way to the top, proving everyone wrong every step of the way. She wished she could have been there to watch, to help, to have more time with this amazing and beautiful woman.

“Not sure I wanted to know that,” Cat confessed. She finally looked at Kara again. “I can’t imagine what that was like for you. A young child watching the destruction of her world, thrown into that… that… prison.”

“Funny you should use the word ‘prison’.”

Cat arched a single eyebrow.

“The Phantom Zone was where we kept Krypton’s jail. Apparently when my pod was finally freed it sort of… towed Fort Rozz with it.”

Crossing her arms on the table, Cat leaned forward. “And this prison… Fort Rozz… it made its way here?”

Kara nodded. “My mother was a judge on Krypton. She sentenced a lot of the prisoners.”

“Are the prisoners all… Kryptonian?” Kara could see Cat’s unease at the thought.

“No. Some are, but there are lots of different species that were sentenced to Fort Rozz.”

“That’s why your foster family wanted you to remain hidden. They knew the prisoners would want revenge against your mother.”

“Yeah.” Kara sighed again, helplessly thinking of Astra for a moment, that wound still fresh and painful. “Although I didn’t know that until after I faced off with the first of them. That didn’t go very well, by the way. My sister had to rescue me.”

“Alex?”

Kara nodded, pleased and surprised that Cat remembered her name. “You asked me about the plane. Alex was on it. She worked for the DEO at the time and someone from Fort Rozz had sabotaged it to try to kill her.”

Cat took that in, choosing her next question carefully. “I thought your sister was human?”

“She is. Of the most badass variety. I knew Alex wouldn’t want me to expose myself like that, but I couldn’t let her die. Thank God I managed to get that plane down considering I had no idea what I was doing.” Kara smiled wryly at herself. “It took me three tries that night just to be able to fly I hadn’t done it in so long.”

Cat was staring at her now, her expression unreadable. “Just when I think you can’t possibly be any more amazing.”

Heat infused Kara’s cheeks at the compliment. “My powers…”

“I’m not talking about your powers.” Cat was quiet a moment. “You’ve been through… more than I can fathom, and yet…” She swallowed. “And yet you still see so much good in the world.”

“I see good in the world because it’s there.”

“It is,” Cat agreed, “but the fact that you champion it the way you do after fate has been so cruel and unkind…”

“Fate brought me to you,” Kara said quietly, reaching across the table and taking Cat’s hand in hers. “Fate brought me to the Danvers… to Alex.”

“Doesn’t seem like a fair trade.”

Kara smiled sadly. “Fate didn’t destroy Krypton, Cat. What fate did was give me the two women that I…” Kara swallowed hard, the words catching in her throat.

Cat’s gaze held Kara’s own.

“The two women I love most in this world,” Kara finished, giving up the last of her secrets.

Eyes glistening with unshed tears, Cat squeezed Kara’s hand.

“So this madness is mutual, hmm?” Cat asked, trying to regain some of her composure in the wake of Kara’s confession.

“Very,” Kara promised sincerely, her thumb stroking over the back of Cat’s knuckles.

Cat drew in a deep breath, searching for something safer to talk about. “Tell me about her.”

“Who?”

“Alex. I want to know more about this badass sister of yours.”

Kara grinned. “On one condition.”

Cat waited, curious.

“You have to dance with me.”

****

“Have I ever told you how good you smell?”

Cat’s eyebrows lifted at the unexpected compliment. “Do I?”

“Mmm.” The sound was a purr in Kara’s throat, one Cat could feel vibrating in her chest as they danced slowly together to the music. Kara nuzzled Cat’s ear, her warm breath inviting and distracting on Cat’s skin. “One of my favorite things about working for you.”

“The way I smell?” Cat asked with amusement.

Kara nodded. “I’ve loved going home with your scent all over me this week, waking up with your perfume still on my skin.”

Cat swallowed, aroused by the thought. She tipped her head back slightly and Kara did the same, offering her a shy smile. “Good to know. Especially since I dabbed on a little extra tonight in a spot or two.”

They stopped moving for a moment as Kara stumbled, and Cat smiled wickedly.

“Do I want to know where?” Kara asked, a little breathless.

“I’m sure you’ll be able to figure it out when the time comes.” Cat kept smiling as Kara drew in a stuttering, shaky breath. It was too easy to get the younger woman worked up, and Cat was growing eager to learn just how tightly she could wind Kara Danvers before she snapped. “Now… I held up my end of this bargain. Tell me about Alex.”

“Thinking about my sister at the moment is a little weird,” Kara almost whined, and Cat chuckled.

“She’s important to you so she’s important to me.” Cat stepped into the taller woman again, savoring the heat and strength of Kara’s body as Cat urged her back into a slow, sensual sway. “And you’ve been worried about her,” Cat added more seriously. “I’d like to know why.”

Kara swallowed, tipping her head back to look at the faint stars overhead. “Most of the good I do in this world, it’s because I have Alex in my life. She’s taken _such_ good care of me. Sacrificed so much. No one could ask for a better sister.”

“I just crashed into the Danvers lives when I was a kid. Alex was an only child. Two years older than me. Can you imagine what she must have gone through? Having this person… this _alien_ in your home, stealing your parents’ time and attention when it used to be all yours. And the Danvers had to give me a lot of attention. I was adjusting to a new world, to getting powers…”

“ _Getting_ powers?” Cat leaned back again, surprised. “You didn’t have them before?”

Kara shook her head. “None of us had powers on Krypton. It’s Earth’s yellow sun that gives them to us here.”

Cat blinked, so many questions crowding into her mind, but she held them at bay for now, a feat of Herculean effort. “So... you were a young child, with a whole host of new powers and still grieving your family, your planet…”

“I was a mess,” Kara answered drolly. “And a handful. And… Alex suffered for it.” 

Cat could hear the regret in Kara’s voice along with a deep affection for her sister. She had never met Alex, but Cat’s heart ached for her, imagining what that must have been like. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but it’s a miracle she didn’t wind up hating you.”

Kara grinned. “It really is, but she doesn’t,” Kara said in a softer tone, and Cat found herself wanting to meet Alex Danvers more than ever now that she knew the profound impact Alex had on the woman Cat loved. “We have some issues we’re working through, but… I’d do anything for her.”

“So what’s wrong then?” Cat prodded gently. “You mentioned she was in trouble.”

Taking a deep breath, Kara released it in a long sigh. “She’s… on the run.”

“Oh,” Cat murmured in surprise.

“She didn’t do anything wrong,” Kara was quick to defend. “Neither did the alien she was protecting… not really. But some people in the military are a little too paranoid for their own good. They were going to send Alex and Hank away to some place… bad.”

“And you couldn’t let that happen,” Cat guessed, wondering how Kara had managed to protect her sister and still maintain her relationship with the DEO. 

Kara shrugged, neither confirming or denying the charge. “There’s more to everything than that, but the rest is pretty complicated.”

“Is this the longest you’ve ever been apart?”

Nodding, Kara sighed again. “I finally heard from her earlier this week. She saw the news report about the bombs, knew from the way I flew out of there that I was in trouble.”

“She sounds like a good sister. I hope I’ll get to meet her at some point.”

“Me too.” A mischievous smile tugged at Kara’s lips.

“What?”

“I think you two would eventually get along great.”

“Eventually?”

“Once Alex stopped threatening to kill you if you ever hurt me.”

“She does recognize that you’re Supergirl, right? That you don’t need protecting?” Cat teased.

“That’s never stopped Alex. I can’t tell you the number of times she put herself between me and a threat. Her first instinct is always to protect me.”

“I may not know your sister,” Cat said softly, “but I like her already.”

They danced quietly for a few moments, content to hold one another, to be closer than they’d ever been. Cat had fought this thing between them for so long, but now that she was living it, she couldn’t comprehend why she’d been such a fool to resist it. 

“It’s a little surreal,” Kara murmured, “being here with you like this.” 

“We’ve come quite a long way, haven’t we?”

“Mmm,” Kara agreed wordlessly, her fingers stroking Cat’s bare back where the dress left little to the imagination. “You remember our first interview?”

“For your position at CatCo?” 

“Actually, I was thinking about the first time you interviewed Supergirl.”

“How could I forget?” Cat let her own hands wander, trailing her fingertips down Kara’s spine and enjoying the way the girl shivered in reaction. Kara’s body was delightfully responsive to her touch, and Cat began to imagine all the ways she could make Kara tremble. “That was a white-knuckle drive down that winding road from the bluff in the dark.”

Kara chuckled. “Yeah. Sorry about that.” 

“No you’re not.”

“You got me all flustered,” Kara protested with a light laugh. “I was so not ready for a battle of wills with the Queen of All Media.”

Cat grinned, smug, her right hand ghosting lightly over Kara’s hip. She watched as Kara swallowed roughly, wondered what the younger woman would do when it was Cat’s mouth there, her tongue. “You think you’re ready now?” Cat murmured. The intensity between them thickened, growing harder to fight. 

“A lot has changed since then,” Kara said, a faint challenge in her voice. Lifting one hand to brush Cat’s loose curls aside, Kara dipped her head and lightly pressed a kiss to the skin just below Cat’s ear.

Cat’s eyes fluttered closed and she tilted her head to give Kara better access, experiencing the touch to her toes. Kara nipped the skin lightly before soothing it with her tongue, and Cat bit her lower lip to hold back a gasp, her body growing restless to feel more of Kara against her. “You’re lucky I didn’t-”

A soft burst of icy air suddenly blew over Cat’s heated skin. Sucking in a startled breath, Cat’s grip on Kara tightened as an unexpected moan caught in her throat. “Kara…” 

“Think I finally got the hang of that freezy breath thing,” Kara teased knowingly before licking her way lower, nearly buckling Cat’s knees when she did it again.

“It would appear so,” Cat breathed.

“Cat…” Kara’s voice broke with nerves and something more provocative, something needy. It was Cat’s undoing.

Tipping her head back, Cat claimed Kara’s mouth in a hungry kiss, moaning softly at the chill still on Kara’s lips and tongue. Kara’s hands slid lower, gripping Cat’s hips and pulling her in hot and tight. 

“I couldn't sleep last night,” Kara confessed when Cat came up for air. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you.” Her thumbs stroked Cat’s hip bones, her mouth returning to Cat’s throat.

“And what were you thinking?” Cat urged, her voice hoarse, body thrumming with want.

“How much I want to touch you.” Kara swallowed roughly, her teeth closing lightly on Cat’s earlobe. “How much I want to taste you.”

Cat groaned at the thought, eager to reciprocate in kind. “Kara…”

“Cat,” Kara pleaded, “take me to bed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And you thought you hated me for the way I ended the previous chapter...


	9. Chapter 9

“Take me to bed.”

Cat swallowed hard, her breath catching deep in her chest as heat rushed through her, making her shiver in the cool night air. “Are you sure?” She’d been pushing for this moment, but now that it was here, Cat needed to be certain it was what Kara wanted.

Displaying some of that Supergirl confidence, Kara dipped her head and kissed Cat again, hot, deep, and devastating. Cat whimpered softly, almost embarrassed by how much she wanted this woman. She clasped Kara’s hand as she tore herself away from that tempting mouth, aching to feel those lips everywhere.

With a tug, Kara followed obediently, her blue eyes darkened by pupils blown wide with desire. Cat wasn’t even sure how they got to the bedroom, everything a blur of heady kisses and wandering hands, soft moans and softer giggles as Kara tripped out of her own shoes in the darkened hallway. Candlelight surrounded them once more as Cat lured the younger woman toward the bed.

Kara’s eyes teared when she saw the candles, her gaze worshipping the planes and angles of Cat’s face and body as shadows flickered enticingly over them both. “Are _you_ sure?” Kara asked unexpectedly. “I… don’t exactly know what I’m doing.”

“You’ve never…?”

“Not… not never,” Kara stumbled. “Just not…”

“With a woman?” Cat guessed, excited and rather smug that she would be Kara’s first, and God willing, only female lover, that she would be the one who would show Kara how very good it could feel.

Kara nodded. “I mean… I’m not… I researched…” She blushed faintly, visible even in the candlelight. “Which sounded sexier in my head before I said it out loud.”

Cat grinned before she kissed her again, her tongue teasing into Kara’s mouth, tasting wine, chocolate, and the flavor that was so uniquely Kara that she couldn’t get enough of. “You researched, hmm?” she murmured when they parted, her lips beginning to trail down Kara’s throat.

“I wanted to be sure I could… oh Rao,” Kara gasped softly as Cat’s right hand teased over her dress before lightly cupping her breast. Cat curled her fingers, playfully dragging her nails across the silk surface. “Cat… God.”

“Wanted to be sure of what?” Cat prompted as Kara panted softly against her.

“That I… I could please you. Make you feel good.”

“I’m feeling very pleased and very good, so well done.” Cat walked Kara back toward the bed. Once Kara’s calves bumped the surface she immediately sat as Cat eased back before kicking her own heels off and turning. “Unzip me?”

Trembling fingers complied, and Cat closed her eyes, ignoring her insecurities about her older body as Kara revealed more of her. Warm lips ghosted down Cat’s spine and she gasped softly in surprise as the dress slipped from her hips to pool around her feet. With a deep breath, she turned, going still when Kara’s gaze dipped below the lace of her bra and froze.

Hesitantly, Kara’s right hand came up to trace the scar there, a thin, slightly raised line, courtesy of the Joker. Nearly two inches long, it was stark white against Cat’s already pale skin. 

“Does it still hurt?” Kara murmured.

Cat shook her head, her breathing shortened as Kara’s fingers continued to trace the sensitive skin.

Tears were brimming in Kara’s eyes when she looked up at Cat, but they didn’t fall. Cat swallowed, afraid the reminder of her attack, of how close she’d come to dying, had pulled Kara from the mood, but then Kara eased forward, gently replacing her fingers with her mouth.

Kara kissed the scar reverently, and the sight and sensation robbed Cat of her breath completely and sent heat pooling between her legs. At the first slow drag of the tip of Kara’s tongue along the raised ridge, Cat’s legs nearly buckled. 

“Kara,” Cat whispered, fisting her hands in thick blonde hair, holding on as the younger woman explored her curiously, Kara’s hands sliding slowly up the back of Cat’s thighs, urging her closer. Teeth lightly scraped across the scar, Kara realizing just how sensitive it was, and Cat moaned helplessly.

Standing abruptly, Kara reached for her own zipper. “Off,” she nearly growled, and Cat fumbled to help, knowing Kara wanted to be skin to skin as much as she did.

Any lingering hopes that Cat could fall into bed with Kara and get the girl out of her system were abandoned as she slipped the dress from the younger woman’s shoulders. Dear God, a body like that should be illegal. Lean and flawless with just the right amount of muscle and curves, Cat might have been jealous if every inch of this woman wasn’t hers for the taking. 

As soon as the dress hit the floor, Kara was kissing her again, their bodies sliding against one another as Kara grabbed Cat and tumbled them into bed. 

The soft, chilled sheets were a shock against Cat’s back, but then Kara’s heat blanketed her front. The younger woman had always been attuned to Cat’s needs, and this moment, for all its newness between them, was no exception. Kara’s hands moved slowly and purposefully over Cat’s body, learning her curves, finding the spots that made Cat moan and whimper, that made her gasp Kara’s name. 

Cat had never been so consumed, so overwhelmed by someone before. She reached for the clasp on Kara’s bra, and a blur of motion later she realized they were both completely naked, Kara having used a burst of super speed to accommodate them both. “Handy,” she laughed breathlessly.

When Kara finally brought their bodies together, nothing else left between them, Cat moaned into the curve of Kara’s throat, her hands clutching at Kara’s shoulders as her hips tilted upward, seeking more of her heat. Kara shivered at the sound, at the touch.

“Rao, you feel good,” Kara whispered. With most of her lovers, Cat would have thought she was being fed a perfunctory line, but with Kara, Cat could hear her sincerity, the heavy note of desire in her voice. The younger woman was surprising her, taking charge of their lovemaking, her need for Cat driving her to kiss, to tease, to explore. She should have known Supergirl wouldn’t be afraid.  

Kara reveled in discovering Cat’s body, whispering a language Cat didn’t recognize over her skin. Even though it was foreign, the emotion behind it was clear in Kara’s eyes. Her mouth shaped the words over Cat’s breasts before easing down her quivering stomach. Kryptonian, Cat realized, a thrill chasing through her as Kara bathed Cat’s skin in her native tongue. Cat tried to hold onto the words, to retain some of them, wanting them, needing them defined. But later, much later.

“You’re beautiful,” Kara murmured, repeating the words in Kryptonese and savoring Cat’s inhalation of surprise as she trailed her mouth upwards, latching on to tease Cat’s right breast with her tongue. Cat arched into her, and Kara let her blunt fingernails skim lightly down Cat’s hips before she palmed them, pulling Cat closer as she slipped a thigh between Cat’s legs, pressing up with just enough force to make Cat gasp sharply and her own body shiver.

“Rao,” Kara breathed again when she felt how wet Cat was for her. “Cat…”

Cat pressed a palm against Kara’s sternum, a command rather than an ineffectual push, and Kara obeyed, rolling them both over so Cat could straddle her. Cat eased her own thigh between Kara’s and rolled her hips, quickly discovering she wasn’t the only one aching and wet.

It was Kara’s turn to moan, the younger woman bowing beneath her, hips rising as she sought out more of Cat’s heat. The strongest woman on the planet was under her, craving her touch, bending to her will, and Cat had never felt more power than she did in that moment. They moved together in an easy rhythm, like they’d been doing this since the beginning. In some strange way, maybe they had.

Leaning down, Cat tasted Kara’s skin, sweat beginning to glisten on their bodies as candlelight bathed them both. She drew one of Kara’s nipples into her mouth, sucking hard, and the sound Kara made in approval was nearly obscene. “Harder?” Cat asked, wondering how much her bulletproof lover could take.

“As hard as you want,” Kara gasped out. “Just don’t stop.”

Cat smirked and happily complied, digging her fingernails into Kara’s hips as her mouth returned to the younger woman’s breasts. Kara groaned, her breathing roughening and stuttering in her chest.

Blue eyes locked onto Cat’s own, the need swirling in their depth hitting Cat deep in her guts. She’d wanted to take her time for this, but that would have to come later. Slipping a hand between them, Cat stroked the other woman intimately. Kara’s hands frantically searched for purchase around her, finally fisting desperately in the sheets.

Cat understood instantly what she was doing, and the obvious effect she was having on the woman beneath her.

“You won’t hurt me,” Cat promised, sliding two fingers deep inside Kara. The younger woman nearly sobbed at the sensation. “And I don’t give a damn if you tear my sheets, destroy the headboard, or break the whole damn bed, Kara. Don’t hold back. Enjoy this. Enjoy me.”

“Cat…” Kara’s voice broke as her hips moved faster, chasing her pleasure. She was the most stunning thing Cat had ever seen.

Watching Kara ascend to the tipping point, teetering on the edge of release, Cat knew when Kara went over she would tip with her, the friction between her legs too intense, the sight of Kara too arousing. “Come for me, Kara,” Cat pleaded, her own control beginning to spiral and shred. “God, please…”

And Kara obeyed, her body thrashing once as she yelled Cat’s name, sheets tearing beneath her as Cat willingly followed her over the edge.

****

Kara stared at the ceiling, trying to get her breathing under control. She’d just… they had… she almost laughed at her brain’s inability to function. A giddy grin spread across her lips, and she shifted, wrapping her hands around Cat’s waist and holding her close. Cat was breathing hard herself, her body draped boneless over Kara’s, head tucked beneath Kara’s chin. Kara’s grin morphed from giddy to dopey at how well they fit together. 

“That was…” Kara had to laugh a little.

“It certainly was,” Cat murmured. “Although we’re far from done, Girl of Steel.”

Her body very much liked the sound of that if the way it warmed and ached for more of Cat’s touch was any indication. “Is that right?”

Slowly, Cat lifted her head, her blonde hair mussed and sexy as she stared down into Kara’s blue eyes. Kara licked her lips at the thought of doing to Cat what Cat had just done to her. Her research had given her all kinds of possibilities to explore. The hardest thing would be deciding which of them to do next.

“What are you thinking?” Cat asked softly.

A blush dotted Kara’s cheeks but she didn’t look away. “The many ways I want you,” she admitted.

Cat arched a neat eyebrow. “That sounds… stimulating.”

“Told you. I researched.”

Cat chuckled. “You always were a very thorough… assistant.” Her fingers began to lightly tease Kara’s collarbone, as she nuzzled Kara’s neck, nibbling lightly.

Kara grinned, her hands sliding higher until she encountered the rough edge of Cat’s scar, tracing it gently. “I hate that he hurt you, but I’m thankful for this,” she said, running her thumb deliberately over it.

“Thankful?” Cat’s voice was decidedly huskier after their love making, and Kara loved the timbre of it. “I was thankful for good plastic surgeons who made sure the mark he left on me was at least straight and small all things considered.”

“It’s not the Joker’s mark. It’s yours.” 

Cat lifted her head again, her hazel eyes searching Kara’s in the candlelight, and Kara let her thumb trace over the scar once more.

“This is yours,” Kara repeated. “It’s a symbol of your will to survive. To fight back. To not let men like him stop you.”

“Are you one of those women that dig scars?” Cat joked softly.

Kara shrugged. “Maybe. I certainly dig this one.”

They stared at each other a moment.

“What are you doing here with me?” Cat whispered. “You could have anyone you wanted.”

“I want you,” Kara told her. “And as for what I’m doing here...” Kara kissed her. “I’m having the best night of my life.” 

“You’re a hopeless romantic,” Cat accused, but she sounded pleased.

“Says the woman who spent a fortune on flowers and candles to wine and dine me.”

“And bed you,” Cat added with a sly smile Kara adored. “Let’s not forget that.”

“Definitely can’t forget that.”

They kissed again, slow and intense, their hands beginning to wander. Kara was fast becoming addicted to Cat’s touch on her body, and if the way Cat responded to hers was any indication, the feeling was decidedly mutual. 

“What does ‘bythgr’ mean?” Cat murmured unexpectedly, struggling to say the word.

Swallowing in surprise, Kara blinked, her breath hitching. “Where did you hear that word?”

“From you. A few minutes ago. Or did I totally butcher it?”

Color rose in Kara’s cheeks again. “Uh…”

“Didn’t know you’d said that out loud, hmm?” Cat teased.

“Um… it means…” Kara took a breath, knowing she was never going to hear the end of this. “It means queen.”

Cat hesitated, her sharp eyes searching Kara’s features, but a small, what Kara could only describe as shit-eating, grin graced her lips. “Queen, hmm? And ‘zrhueiao?’”

Hearing the words fall from Cat’s lips gave Kara chills of the best kind.

“Beautiful.”

Cat swallowed. “It’s a gorgeous language, Kara.”

“It was,” Kara said quietly.

“It still is.” 

Kara smiled. “I wish you could have seen Krypton. I think you would have loved it.” Her fingers toyed with one of Cat’s loose curls.

“I know I would have. It gave me you.”

Trying to swallow past a sudden lump in her throat, Kara could only lean up, kissing Cat again with increasing intensity. “Want to hear more?” Kara murmured, her own voice growing rougher with want as she rolled them over.

“Feel free to use that bythgr word again.” Cat’s eyes sparkled, daring the younger woman.

“I can do that,” Kara promised, easing closer, rubbing her body against the woman beneath her. “In fact, I know exactly where to teach you more of my native tongue.”

“Brazen,” Cat gasped as Kara began to trail kisses down her torso. “I like it.”

****

Alex sat on the balcony of her cheap motel room, studying the explosion of stars over the desert sky. She still marveled that her sister had come from the heavens, had passed so many of those specks of light on her journey to Earth. Alex had always loved the stars, but it was only in the last few years she’d realize how grateful she was for them.

Sighing, she slipped her burner phone out of her back pocket, painfully tempted to call Kara, missing her sister’s voice, but she knew Kara was on her date. It chafed, not knowing who this person was that might have claimed her sister’s heart, who might claim Kara’s body before the night was over, but Alex knew this was a huge step for her sister. Kara wasn’t naïve when it came to sex, but she hadn’t been with anyone in the last few years, having concluded that sharing herself so intimately with someone else should be saved for someone she loved.

But if that someone wasn’t James or Winn then who was it? Alex hated not knowing, feeling oddly like she was letting Kara down in some way because she hadn’t been able to properly vet her sister’s suitor, not that Kara would probably want her to.

Shoving the phone back in her pocket, Alex tried not to fidget. Kara was a big girl now, no longer the scared, frightened child who’d needed Alex to protect her from the likes of school bullies and scary popcorn makers. She was no longer Kara’s protector, not that she ever needed to be.

Kara was embracing her life. Alex wished she could say the same.

“You sulking out here, Danvers?”

She smiled halfheartedly. “Maybe. My sister is out on a big date tonight, and I’m stuck here in the desert with you.” Alex turned her head as Hank stepped out of the room and crossed to the rail, looking out into the darkness.

“Worse places to be when you have views like this one.”

Alex watched him, wondering what he saw when he tipped his head back and stared at the carpet of stars above. Did he think of home? The family he’d lost? The threats they were no longer guarding against? Or did he simply see their beauty, take solace in them the way she did?

“She’ll be fine, Alex.”

“I know. In a weird way, I think that’s what’s bothering me.”

Hank smiled. 

“It’s just…” Alex swallowed. “I’ve been trying to keep Kara safe for almost half my life. I don’t… I don’t really know what I’m good for now.”

“Have you stopped trying to keep her safe? I didn’t get the memo.”

“You know what I mean. She doesn’t...” Tears unexpectedly pricked Alex’s eyes, blurring the stars into watery streaks of light. “It was hard enough to be there for her when she had her feet on the ground, but my sister can fly. She’s… she’s soaring now, and I’m just afraid… I’m afraid she’s going to fly beyond my reach. That I’m going to lose her. I can’t… I can’t shake this feeling I’m going to lose her.”

Hank turned and leaned against the rail, watching her. He frowned. “You’ve been more concerned for Kara than usual lately. This isn’t the first time you’ve expressed these fears.”

Alex waved her hands helplessly before she wiped at her eyes. “I can’t explain it. I just… I feel like she’s going to be ripped away from me because I’m not there to hold on to her. I know that sounds crazy…”

“It sounds like you love your sister very much.” Hank patted her on the shoulder. “She’s going to be fine. You both are. You’re just having a hard time with the separation. Too much time on your hands to think.”

“Maybe,” Alex allowed, but her instincts told her it was something more, something she shouldn’t ignore.

****

The candles were burning low as Kara traced idle patterns on Cat’s bare back, listening to the sounds of the city settling for the night beyond the windows. Cat slept curled against her amidst the ruined sheets and a shredded pillow or two, finally having yielded to the exhaustion Kara had delighted in causing. Kara grinned as she stared up at the ceiling, barely able to believe the night they’d just had with one another.

Maybe it was best that Cat had come into Kara’s life when she had. Kara wasn’t so sure she could have kept up with a twenty-something year-old Cat Grant. She could barely keep up with her now, but she’d had a hell of a lot of fun trying. Kara had never understood why everyone was so preoccupied with sex on this planet; apparently, it took finding the right partner for her to totally get it.

Kara drifted her fingers through Cat’s hair, sleep beckoning to her as well, but she wanted to linger in the moment, in this amazing feeling.

After all these years, Kara was finally home. 

There were still so many things they needed to work out between them, not the least of which was Carter and the Joker, but Kara was oddly peaceful about it all now. It was hard for anything to worry her with Cat snuggled against her side. 

Except Alex. How Alex would handle this made her nervous. 

But the time to worry about that was tomorrow. Tonight, Kara wanted to revel in this, in the glorious way Cat made her feel.

“I love you,” Kara whispered as she closed her eyes, surrendering to dreams that would pale against her reality.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll admit it. Writing sex scenes always makes me blush. Hopefully this chapter was worth the wait. :)


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long delay between chapters. I hope to have more regular updates to this one soon! FYI, the first part of this chapter is NSFW...

Kara woke slowly, startled to see sunlight spilling over the foot of the bed, dust motes dancing above twisted, torn, and tangled sheets. She turned her head, looking for a clock, only to come face-to-face with a sleeping Cat Grant.

Her breath caught as she stared, held rapt by Cat’s beauty and the sudden deluge of heated memories that crowded into her mind, warming her body and making it burn. They’d been ravenous with each other. Kara might have blushed when she remembered some of the things she’d begged Cat to do to her, some of the things she’d done in return, but it was hard to be embarrassed when everything had felt so damn _good_. 

Cat stirred slightly, and Kara took that as an invitation, closing the brief space between them and tangling their bodies further, listening with satisfaction as Cat inhaled sharply at the skin-on-skin contact.

“Morning,” Kara murmured, breathing Cat in as she teased her nose against the other woman’s ear.

“I was going to be very upset if last night had been a dream.” Cat’s hazel eyes blinked open, and Kara smiled when Cat’s hands settled on her waist beneath the sheets. 

“No dream,” Kara promised. “You sleep okay?”

“Once you stopped ravaging me.” Cat stretched, her body rubbing against Kara’s with delicious friction.  

“Ravaging you?” Kara nipped the nearest shoulder. “I didn’t hear you complaining.”

“Mmm. I like being ravaged.”

Kara huffed in amusement as she propped her head on her fist, staring into Cat’s sleepy gaze. She could scarcely believe she was here with Cat like this, that this was real. “And speaking of ravaging, Ms. Grant…”

Cat’s smile was radiant and unapologetic as her fingers traced down Kara’s collarbone where it was visible above the sheets. “Super stamina. I approve.”

“I needed it,” Kara said with amusement. “You were like a ruthless super villain,” she teased, “having your way with me again and again.”

Cat lifted one eyebrow. “That’s my superpower? Orgasms?”

Kara blushed annoyingly hard. “That’s certainly one of them. It’s very effective at rendering me helpless.”

For a long moment, Cat simply stared at her, something soft and wondering in her gaze that took Kara’s breath away. “Can I ask you something?” 

Kara couldn’t look away from Cat’s eyes. This morning they looked greener, the color vivid against the stark white of Cat’s pillows. “Anything.”

“Will you tell me your real name now?”

“Oh.” Pleasure stole through her, and Kara smiled bashfully, pleased Cat still wanted to know. “You’re going to be disappointed,” she warned with a smile.

“Why would I be disappointed?”

“It’s Kara.”

Cat rolled her eyes. “It is not.”

“It is!” Kara swore on a laugh. “Kara Zor-El. I’m the last daughter of the House of El.”

“Kara Zor-El,” Cat tried the name on, and the way she spoke it was as close as anyone other than Clark had come to sounding it out just right. Kara grinned, savoring the sound of her full name on Cat’s lips. Cat apparently had a tongue made for the language as Kara had learned only a handful of hours ago.

“It’s beautiful,” Cat said after a moment. “But since you’re in the sharing mood…” She rolled over, and Kara’s eyebrows climbed upward when Cat turned toward her once more with Kara’s glasses unexpectedly in her hands. She twirled them by the earpiece, looking at Kara expectantly. “Care to explain why these are a little heavy?”

Leave it to Cat to notice, Kara thought proudly. Kara took them from her, slipping them on for the hell of it as Cat settled under the sheets against her, urging Kara onto her back again. She could get very used to waking up like this. “When I first got to Earth, adjusting to having powers was… hard.”

“I can’t imagine what that would be like.” Cat’s fingers slowly traced down Kara’s stomach, and for a moment, Kara forgot what they were even talking about. 

“I… uh… I literally didn’t know my own strength. I kept breaking things, flying accidentally, I might have zapped a few holes in the wallpaper…”

Frowning, Cat eased her hand down one of Kara’s thighs before tracing higher again. “And the glasses?”

“The worst was my hearing and vision. I could hear every tiny sound within a five-mile radius. Eventually my brain adapted, allowing me to filter out things I didn’t want or need to hear, but the vision… I still have issues with it when I’m tired or distracted.”

“Your heat vision?”

“X-ray. I kept seeing through everything and everyone. Sometimes made it hard to put one foot in front of the other when I was seeing something that was actually several blocks away.”

“Hmm.” Cat’s hand began its winding path down Kara’s body once more.

Kara swallowed, her mouth going dry, vividly remembering what those clever fingers could do to her, eager to let them do it again. “So, Jeremiah made me the glasses. He…” She inhaled sharply as Cat’s fingers detoured, sliding up between her thighs. “He…”

“Used some of that Danvers' ingenuity?” Cat shifted closer as her touch became much more intimate.

Kara could only nod at first, her eyes closing in pleasure. Cat knew just how to touch her already. “They… they have lead in them.”

“Didn’t I read somewhere Superman can’t see through lead?”

“We… We can’t.”

“Clever,” Cat said after a moment. “I like you in glasses.”

“You… you do?” Kara breathed as Cat straddled one of Kara’s legs, rising to her knees as the sheet pooled around her waist, giving Kara a view she was craving to paint. Cat’s fingers never stopped moving and when they finally slipped inside, Kara was more than ready for the invasion. She gasped her lover’s name, hips rising, wanting more of her, wanting Cat as deep as she could go.

“Looks like I’ve got you just where I want you, Supergirl,” Cat sneered playfully, and Kara was embarrassed by how hot the thought made her. “Leave the glasses on.” 

**** 

“Is this seat taken?”

Lucy glanced up in surprise, finding herself face-to-face with Carter Grant in the DEO mess hall. He wouldn’t meet her eye, and Lucy suspected it had taken every ounce of his courage to approach her. She also noted the rest of the room was largely empty. “Nope. Join me.”

His blue eyes darted to hers and away, but he smiled shyly before sitting down across from her with his breakfast.

“You sleep all right?” Lucy asked as she sipped her coffee, ignoring the reports she’d been reviewing for now.

Carter nodded. “This place is so cool.”

Lucy grinned at his enthusiasm. “I’ve only been here a handful of weeks, and I’m still geeking out a bit too,” she confessed in a loud whisper. Carter glanced at her again and smiled.

“You’re Major Lane, right?”

Nodding, Lucy couldn’t help but be curious about Carter’s interest.

“You’re a friend of my mom’s?”

“I actually worked for her for a while at CatCo.”

Carter picked at his scrambled eggs before his gaze settled on her sling. “The Joker… is that why he attacked you?”

Lucy drew in a deep breath. “No. I don’t think your mom had anything to do with that.”

“He hurt her, you know. A long time ago.”

“I know,” Lucy said. “But the Joker came after me because of my sister, I think. Lois Lane?”

“Your sister is Lois Lane?” Carter finally looked at her now, his gaze steady.

Lucy nodded.

“Do you know Superman?”

Grinning, Lucy nodded again. “We’ve met a few times.”

“That is so cool.” Carter shoveled in a mouthful of his eggs. “Although I like Supergirl better,” he said after he’d swallowed.

“You do, huh?” Lucy wondered if he had any idea how close Supergirl was getting to his mother these days, that the Girl of Steel was likely waking up with his mother right about now. It was going to take every ounce of her self-control to wait and text Kara until at least midday.

Carter shrugged. “She’s got all the same powers, but… I don’t know. She has more heart? Does that make sense?”

“Perfect sense,” Lucy agreed, finding it an apt description of Kara. She leaned forward slightly, deciding to satisfy a little curiosity of her own. “So, how’s your mom holding up with all this Joker business?”

Carter nibbled on a piece of bacon. “She’s doing okay. My mom is pretty tough.”

“She is. Your mom is one of the toughest women I know.”

His lips tilted upward with a proud grin, but then he almost, almost smirked. 

“What?” Lucy asked. “What’s that sly grin for, young man?”

Carter laughed a little. “Nothing. It’s just… Mom started seeing someone. I think that’s really helping her through all this stuff with the Joker.”

Jackpot. Lucy tried to keep her features neutral. “Really?” she drawled.

“Yeah.”

“And who might that be?”

“Her name is Kara.”

Lucy’s heart leapt with excitement. That meant Cat knew everything. “I know Kara,” she said after a moment of giddy, internal screaming. 

“She’s like… awesome.” Carter grinned again. “And she makes my mom really happy. I haven’t seen her like this… ever.”

Her cheeks were starting to hurt from smiling so hard. “So you’re okay with them dating?”

“Way okay. I really like Kara, and my mom _really_ likes Kara.”

They both chuckled. 

“I bet it’s kind of fun, seeing your mom head over heels.”

“It’s… a little weird,” Carter confessed. “She’s been all… I don’t know… preoccupied, I guess? And this week she kept getting these goofy grins on her face at the weirdest times.”

Lucy laughed in delight. The kid was a goldmine. “Sounds sweet.”

“Yeah,” Carter drawled with a smile. “It is. But it’s a little freaky to watch you mom go all silly over somebody. I’m happy she’s happy, though.” 

He was such an adorable kid. Lucy watched him eat for a moment, impressed with Cat in a way she hadn’t been before. Cat had raised a smart, kind, intelligent boy. 

“Is this the cool kids’ table?”

Lucy’s heart nearly stopped in her chest as she glanced up to find James smiling down at them. She’d forgotten his plans to bunk down there for the weekend. Mind racing, Lucy looked for a topic that would keep the conversation as far from Cat and Kara as possible. “There’s certainly one cool kid at this table so... possibly.”

James settled next to her. “Morning, Carter.”

“Morning,” Carter greeted with a smile, but Lucy got the impression he was a little bummed by James joining them. “Sorry about your apartment.”

James shrugged. “Just things. They can be replaced.” He glanced at Lucy. “How are you feeling?”

“Better. Headache is mostly gone now.” 

“Good.” James gave her a genuine smile and some of the tension in Lucy’s shoulders began to ease only for it to return in force with the next sentence out of his mouth. “So… you heard Kara is dating someone?”

Lucy’s gaze immediately cut to Carter who looked up at that. He started to say something only to lock eyes with Lucy and blink. “Yeah… she might have mentioned something about that.”

“She say who?”

Eyes narrowing, Lucy turned her head to look at her ex-boyfriend. “Really? Am I the person you should be talking to about Kara?” 

Carter stared at them both.

James at least had the decency to look abashed. “Probably not. It’s just… Winn doesn’t know who this… person.... is.” He flashed a quick, uncomfortable glance at Carter. “I was kinda hoping Kara told you.”

“Why do you care?” Carter asked warily, and Lucy had to bite her lower lip to keep a smile off her face.

“Uh…” James glanced at Carter again, clearly puzzled by the teen interjecting himself into the conversation. “Well… I like Kara, bud. I like her a lot.”

“So you want to date her?” Carter challenged.

“Well, yeah,” James said with a smile even as he cast an apologetic glance at Lucy. “Can you blame me? She’s beautiful, and sweet, and...”

“But she’s dating someone else.” Carter crossed his arms on top of the table, looking fairly intimidating for his size and weight. 

Lucy stared into the dregs of her coffee cup, trying not to laugh, but proud of Carter’s protectiveness of his mother.

“I think that’s fairly new. Not sure it’s serious,” James explained, wilting a little under the hostile glare of a 13-year-old boy.

“Not sure about that,” Lucy admitted, hoping she could warn James off.

“You do know.” James turned toward her again, ignoring Carter for the moment. “Come on, Luce. Give it up.”

“That’s Kara’s story to tell, not mine.” Lucy met Carter’s gaze again and the boy nodded once, smiling softly in understanding. Oh yeah, she liked this kid.

“Can you at least tell me if I stand a chance?” James needled.

“If I had to guess? You don’t have a snowball’s chance in hell. Sorry, Carter,” Lucy murmured for swearing.

“My mom is Cat Grant. I’ve heard worse.”

“But who is this… person?” James persisted stubbornly. “Kara hasn’t mentioned anyone…”

“Jeez,” Carter grumbled around a mouthful of toast. “You sound desperate, dude.”

James looked from one to the other, sensing he was missing something. “You’re not worried?” he asked Lucy. “Some mystery person just breezed into Kara’s life and now everything is changing and you’re okay with that?”

“Not a mystery to me.” Lucy offered him a tight smile. “Let it go, James. Kara will tell you when she’s ready.”

He didn’t look satisfied with her answer, but he dropped the topic for now. Somehow Lucy didn’t think it would be the last she heard of it this weekend. Kara was going to owe her some serious details, and maybe dinner, or at least a nice bottle of wine.  
    
****

Cat slipped from the bed, taking a moment to appreciate the gorgeous sight of a naked and exhausted Kryptonian asleep in the tangle of sheets. She wanted to run her fingers over the muscles in Kara’s back, to toy with the golden strands of her hair where they cascaded over her pillow, but Kara had earned herself a decent nap so Cat let her be.

With a satisfied smile, Cat slipped on a short, silk robe, scooped her phone, and left Kara to her dreams.

Sunlight was pouring into the kitchen, and Cat opened the balcony door to let more in. She pulled the screen closed, suspecting Kara would enjoy the fresh air when she woke. Her girlfriend needed to recharge after their active night.

Pausing at the fleeting thought, Cat felt it take root. _Girlfriend_. Was that what Kara was to her now? With their feelings laid bare and an intensely intimate knowledge of one another, the term didn’t seem quite sufficient. Cat took a breath, the sunlight warming her nicely, but her mind began to spin, clouding her good mood. Last night, lost in their bubble, she and Kara had been perfect. In the harsh light of day with reality setting in, Cat knew they would need to talk. There was work, and Supergirl, and Carter, and Alex… 

Cat emptied the already brewed and now cold pot of coffee and began another. She had to find a way to make this all work with Kara. What she had with her, what they had together, was too rare not to fight like hell to keep it.

Ruthlessly shoving her worries aside for the moment and clinging to her memories of their morning in bed, Cat gathered what she needed to make a large brunch for them both. Cooking was just enough of a distraction to keep her mind occupied. After a few minutes, Cat caught herself humming as she whipped up batter for Carter’s favorite pancakes.

“You’re a walking cliché, Kitty,” she murmured in a fair of impression of her mother. 

She could just imagine how Katherine would react to Cat sleeping with her former assistant. That wouldn’t be a fun conversation. Unlike Kara’s sister, however, Cat was certain her mother would never warm up to the idea of Cat and Kara being together. Cat took a moment to consider if she gave a damn. The answer was unsurprising.

But she worried about Alex. Kara’s devotion to her sister was fierce, and if Alex couldn’t be brought around to accepting them… Cat swallowed. Any kind of future she hoped for with Kara would be scuttled almost before it began. Cursing at some of the mistakes she’d made with Kara early on, Cat accepted they could come back to haunt her now. Alex had reason to be wary of her, of the threat she could pose to Kara, even if Cat would die before she let anything happen to the woman both she and Alex adored.

Pouring herself a cup of coffee, Cat mused on the problem that was Alex Danvers. In truth, there was no one else who could come close to understanding the level of devotion Cat was experiencing for Kara but Alex. They were more alike than not in that regard, and that would either unite them or keep them at odds. Cat was determined to make this work for everyone’s sake, but if she couldn’t…

Her phone buzzed softly in her robe pocket and Cat retrieved it, smiling faintly when she saw a text from Carter.

_This place is so cool!_

Cat chuckled, happy for this new, welcome distraction. _I take it you’re having fun?_ She typed.

_Major Lane gave me a tour this morning. There were some classified areas I couldn’t see, but this place is huge. So much bigger than what we saw the other night._  
   
Smiling, Cat made a mental note to do something nice for Lucy. She was the director of a covert government operation, not a babysitter. Lucy was going above and beyond, and Cat knew she owed her one. 

_Be sure to thank her for taking the time. Major Lane is a busy woman._

_I did_ , Carter replied. _How’d your date with Kara go?_

Cat smiled so wide she felt silly. _It was perfect._

_You going to see her again?_

If things didn’t go off the rails with Alex, Cat was determined to see much more of Kara and often. _That seems likely._

_I really like her mom._

Her heart swelled with affection for him, and Cat wished she could hug him hard right then. Maybe, just maybe, if she played all her cards right with Kara, they could be a family... _I really like her too._

Carter said nothing for a few moments, and Cat wondered if that was the end of his report. She was about to slip her phone back in her pocket when it buzzed again.

_James Olsen is here._

Cat hesitated, reading something into the tone of Carter’s words and frowning. 

_Did you know he has a crush on Kara?_ Carter asked.

Cat sucked down a deep breath, suspecting whatever she was about to learn was going to further test her good mood.


End file.
